tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3469229848721404512024-02-07T00:37:24.695-08:00Dùn Sgàthan Homestead BlogRamblings about homesteading, preparedness, localvorism and related topics from the personal view of two Gaelic Heathen novice homesteaders. Chickens, horses, dogs, goats, wildlife, the land that owns us and why we're here. Also our journey into alternative energy, as slow as it is. Sometimes will have random thoughts on Gaelic Heathenry, Celtic Reconstruction and such from a non-homesteadig-specific pov.Saighhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08330045789400336110noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-346922984872140451.post-63382381711670605292016-07-26T12:53:00.001-07:002016-07-29T14:39:37.078-07:00Trying to heal the pack <script>(function() { var d = document, fr = d.createElement('script'); fr.type = 'text/javascript'; fr.async = true; fr.src = ((d.location.protocol.indexOf('https') == 0)? 'https://s-' : 'http://') + 'static.fundrazr.com/widgets/loader.js'; var s = d.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(fr, s);})();</script> <i>Cross-posted in <a href="http://caithream.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Shadow of the Hooded Crow blog</a></i><br />
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So, I've not been blogging. I've not been writing much, although four days before deadline I decided to whip something together for <i>Air n-Aithesc </i>coming out next week. I've not done a lot of the things I hoped to do this summer, including writing and getting my business put back together. Mostly I have hung out with my dogs, either hiding from the heat inside or wandering around or running outside.Sure, I could write while I hide from the burning daystar, but what I'm also not doing is sleeping so concentration isn't there. It's been a tough year so far.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sachairi</td></tr>
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Last February we lost our 15 year-old boy Sachairi. We had a good two year stretch, after losing our hounds Cù and Òrlaith close together. Sach had liver failure, we tried to stem it with meds but we were told there wasn't anything else we could do. As he lost interest in life, we let him go. Free of his body, he visits often but can also visit his beloved first human who now lives on an island where dogs cannot be brought in. No body, no laws. But it was a rough loss, even if we had adopted him as a senior knowing he would never be with us very long. He made himself very central to our lives, making sure we all were doing what was supposed to be done. He was the dog that when you were upset he'd come over and pat your shoulder and then go get a toy to shove at you to make you feel better. When I needed that this time, well.....<br />
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Just a few weeks later - with all of us, pup, human and, yes, the cat still devastated- we took our remaining dogs, Gleann and Gráinne for their yearly shots and checkups. The vet suggested a "wellness" blood work for Gleann as he was about to turn 12. And one for Gráinne as she had displayed symptoms <i>months earlier</i> that indicated a possible autoimmune issue. And...<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me with Gleann and Gráinne heading to vet </td></tr>
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Gleann has hypercalcemia, high blood calcium of unknown origin, possibly cancer somewhere, but even if not can cause kidney failure. Gráinne has leukemia. Which seemed scarier at first, but really is less of an issue right now, as it is chronic lymphocytic leukemia and currently asymptomatic. The regular vet put her right on Prednisone, which the oncologist (much to the regular vet's chagrin) had us wean her right off....for some reason our regular vet is insisting she was symptomatic when we brought her in although that had been months before...if she has no symptoms she should not be under treatment for levels she has. We'll be monitoring her lymphocyte levels monthly and watching her for symptoms. <br />
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With Gleann, the oncologist (we should have been referred to an intern, although it probably is cancer) also noted he has a neurological disorder (then the regular vet later taking blood and lymph node samples for test the oncologist ordered, as the regular vet was cheaper and closer for them, also insisted he did not have said eye symptom of it,while then admitting that his head muscles are atrophied from the same disorder. At this, point we have no idea what is causing either of these conditions or how they may relate.<br />
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So, those tests were inconclusive, at least according to the regular vet. We need to do ultrasounds and x-rays the regular vet can't do at the referral vet and to get a consultation from someone there for both sets of tests. We're broke. Especially after the vet bills for Sach and the horse ones added up last year (and we need to get a vet here for the horses soon too). So we have been fundraising at the page hopefully linked at this widget. I am hoping readers might be willing to help as they can (lots of small donations do add up) and will share this around. If my work has had meaning to you, please consider that this is work and I do not get regular pay for it, so now might be a good time to compensate (an important factor in Gaelic culture, after all) a bit. We need to get answers, we need to treat the cause of theses issues as we can. Chances are, with the possible causes, it is treatable..<b>.if </b>we can figure it out in time, but time may be running out fast.<br />
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I am hoping that we can get these answers and get Gleann treated. I am hoping to be able to refocus on my writing and get back to taking fitness clients as well as get out to teach some workshops again. (I will likely give a discount to anyone who donates should they wish to do a future workshop or hire me as a trainer...and I am looking at long-distance options). Right now, I'm spending as much time as I can with my pups. Looking forward to our next ritual, as Gleann is our star ritual dog, having participated since he was a couple of months old and absolutely loving it. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me with Gráinne, Gleann and Sach just before going out to the hill las Samhuinn</td></tr>
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<br />Saighhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08330045789400336110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-346922984872140451.post-59451683175893424652014-03-08T11:14:00.001-08:002014-03-08T11:15:58.696-08:00The Golden PrincessI feel rather horrid about this. I wrote two posts about <a href="http://dunsgathan.blogspot.com/2013/07/already-dog-days.html" target="_blank">Cù when he lost use of his legs</a> and we were so hopeful to get him walking again, perhaps with aid, and then when he took a turn for the worse and we had to<a href="http://dunsgathan.blogspot.com/2013/08/about-dog.html" target="_blank"> let him go</a>. But I have written nothing here about Òrlaith's battle this winter. I <a href="http://caithream.blogspot.com/2013/12/dark-nights-and-shadow-hounds.html" target="_blank">posted a bit about it here</a>, primarily as both his death and her battle at the time influenced my writing.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.cyberpict.net/hounds/index.htm" rel="nofollow"><b><b><b>Òrlaith (Prevo)<br />Born:June 16, 2002-adopted: November 25, 2009-died: February 22, 2014</b></b></b></a></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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Òrlaith was our fourth Greyhound, the fifth we have lost. We adopted her when we realized that we were losing Scolaighe to her meningitis and we didn't want Glean, our AussieX to be alone. As she was a tiny "feminine" fawn girl, we were somewhat surprised she was "thrown" at us, we get losers, after all and tiny <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigYrV-UuSjszeNfbrYPEonVeRx2R1U6M3ZZ-cNfDR0PjrL6XS1NlLtca-6QZFYdt5-f828kMv_HZyFCOd1jyrsvQemO2Ubs9iwWvj1UbOfkxKvEriy-kEoTsvkrJzefryxCJTSQ-G6-uUh/s1600/Img_3407r.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigYrV-UuSjszeNfbrYPEonVeRx2R1U6M3ZZ-cNfDR0PjrL6XS1NlLtca-6QZFYdt5-f828kMv_HZyFCOd1jyrsvQemO2Ubs9iwWvj1UbOfkxKvEriy-kEoTsvkrJzefryxCJTSQ-G6-uUh/s1600/Img_3407r.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Peeking out from her pillow fort</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCFClqUJ6aQFaH3L0idArD5TzIDZQHBMgqSgH6I5JL_PU_W00kkg_BqDbQXh8OX-G9U1pmikPcPBtQMtaK8ymns9ld2nCZx3n5X_ZjRtU0O5N0V-Q4_jZcdFG47G8Je0o-EIuY-k9T344P/s1600/Img_3485r.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCFClqUJ6aQFaH3L0idArD5TzIDZQHBMgqSgH6I5JL_PU_W00kkg_BqDbQXh8OX-G9U1pmikPcPBtQMtaK8ymns9ld2nCZx3n5X_ZjRtU0O5N0V-Q4_jZcdFG47G8Je0o-EIuY-k9T344P/s1600/Img_3485r.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a>"feminine" fawn girls are apparently among the most sought after Greyhounds. However, she did have her issues and she did need us. Namely, she had anxiety issues, but they were rather unique. Hardly a spook, she was outgoing and friendly to humans and dogs, rather bossy and body slamming with the latter (and if they didn't obey, I already told the story of<a href="http://dunsgathan.blogspot.com/2013/08/about-dog.html" target="_blank"> her reprimanding Cù then him being put in solitary for supposedly hurting her by kennel workers</a>). However, noises bothered her a lot if she wasn't active at the moment. Sleeping was a real problem; wind, rain, sounds of the house settling, never mind when actual thunder.<br />
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Her previous home had children as well, she hid in her crate and they felt horrible, feeling she was unhappy. Here she took to building a "fort" out of the couch cushions and hiding there to sleep. We figured she was pretty happy, actually, but also got her a <a href="http://www.thundershirt.com/" target="_blank">ThunderShirt (tm)</a> which helped some but she still like to hide.We let her as long as she needed it. <br />
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Over time she started spending less time under the cushions and started snuggling us a bit. When we adopted another AussieX, Sachairi, she did go back into hiding for a bit when she was sleeping, although she did seem to like him. She then started to spend more time out again, except when there were really high winds and thunderstorms. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmQWPhm6okLrLhns6viGJPLJit11Zx5E1QO17sK_WK1Lto-kvqDEFodxun0LpA2gQxTtgq0NnoAnD6PhdtAYSVUmlGcTToQNDnxuTYHxn-rIahhlvQYPJa9rTBU52C4WN0t3_nio8Hujqb/s1600/Img_3550cr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmQWPhm6okLrLhns6viGJPLJit11Zx5E1QO17sK_WK1Lto-kvqDEFodxun0LpA2gQxTtgq0NnoAnD6PhdtAYSVUmlGcTToQNDnxuTYHxn-rIahhlvQYPJa9rTBU52C4WN0t3_nio8Hujqb/s1600/Img_3550cr.jpg" height="176" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She especially liked Sach when he was where she wanted to be</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8lpvdlM4Xm1v0AxlPk-5TS6mmFOB6owZO0Y6egcwNO4GGsFOqQmd5EhEodGOtlR8btCCFoZ0TkiBztGqhPl_tSGTTq1j5LMt2KgMBszrNC1hxLi7hRJMPLZjjxDecEnR1755_mnBG7ReC/s1600/Img_4470cr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a>As the only female the boys all learned to respect her and the seemed to all adore her. She was very bonded with Cù, because their activity levels were a bit different from the Aussies, there was a strong sense of pairing. We'd often walk the hounds on their own and take the fluffy dogs out for a romp in rougher terrain, especially as the hounds both started showing signs of lameness as they aged (Sach is actually older, but yet shows little signs of age other than being deaf). So when Cù became lame, Òrlaith was very reluctant to go for walks on her own. As I didn't want to take all the other dogs out and leave him, I didn't at the time try to take her out with the boys. That would come later, after he was gone and she seemed to enjoy those walks quite a lot.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8lpvdlM4Xm1v0AxlPk-5TS6mmFOB6owZO0Y6egcwNO4GGsFOqQmd5EhEodGOtlR8btCCFoZ0TkiBztGqhPl_tSGTTq1j5LMt2KgMBszrNC1hxLi7hRJMPLZjjxDecEnR1755_mnBG7ReC/s1600/Img_4470cr.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8lpvdlM4Xm1v0AxlPk-5TS6mmFOB6owZO0Y6egcwNO4GGsFOqQmd5EhEodGOtlR8btCCFoZ0TkiBztGqhPl_tSGTTq1j5LMt2KgMBszrNC1hxLi7hRJMPLZjjxDecEnR1755_mnBG7ReC/s1600/Img_4470cr.jpg" height="116" width="320" /></a>She missed him terribly, as did the boys They moped a lot, even all snuggling together often. As snuggly as she had been, she became a total velcro hound to us too. <br />
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Then over Thanksgiving, when the vets where off and Aaron was working, I noticed that her gums were bleeding <i>badly</i> when I brushed her teeth. The next morning there was a lump, we figured a tooth infection that got into her jaw and got her to an emergency vet who determined the same and sent her home with a course of anitbiotics.<br />
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The antibiotics did nothing, the lump grew. Taking her to a regular vet, we learned she had osteosarcoma, a bone tumor. He gave her about three more weeks, which would have been around the holidays, and gave us little option. We took her to another vet for a second opinion. On the plus side we found them a wonderful clinic and will be continuing to use them....wishing greatly that we knew about them when we still had Cù (this is <a href="http://www.bethelanimalhospital.com/" target="_blank">Bethel Animal Hospital</a> they are a bit further from us even than our old vet, but greatly worth the trip!). They didn't give a death date, but confirmed it was cancer. They laid out the options, which were to have the jaw amputated and replaced with a prosthetic and do chemo. Manage her care until it grew too large.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy-1o0rkKf8lQhp9bh1r1zGxNLRGO7CF5MTTyJSI-WndOF0vl4xUMWUR3RYGtyF0lwV6uiq4_tahlPPmyutAttQTAGOx3jy8o2TN8kInz6MpMfCgIQDAqomcJJeuMWUThkL7zLK-LVuaJZ/s1600/Img_4455r.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy-1o0rkKf8lQhp9bh1r1zGxNLRGO7CF5MTTyJSI-WndOF0vl4xUMWUR3RYGtyF0lwV6uiq4_tahlPPmyutAttQTAGOx3jy8o2TN8kInz6MpMfCgIQDAqomcJJeuMWUThkL7zLK-LVuaJZ/s1600/Img_4455r.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a><br />
Given her age, given how horribly invasive and painful the idea of jaw amputation seemed...especially while suffering the effects of chemo....and especially at her age when there was a chance that something else would get her before she even finished the chemo so that she'd probably never have a good quality of life, we opted to care for her while we could without imposing all that on her.<br />
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We did try, with the support and help of the new vet, several herbal treatments. We were sold a lot of hope by many when we bought these things, miracle stories....which was not helpful to us. We had so much hope for Cù and were still feeling crushed by him not making it, not walking again, that more false hope was painful. We knew the cancer would spread, the tumor would grow. All we could hope for was that we could slow it. And it seemed to work. I spent almost all my time with her, Aaron as much as he could. We spoiled her with "treats" which disguised her herbs. And she ate soft food....although she could still wolf down the boys' (who do not eat like Greyhounds) kibble when we weren't looking). <br />
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Around the end of December, it did seem maybe it was getting too big and time was close, but it did seem to slow at that point. She got to the new year, still happily eating, still going for walks when it was warm enough (which, sadly, it wasn't very often). She made it into February and then...as the month was winding down, we realized that the tumor was getting too big. Her mouth was bleeding again. She could still eat, but it was more difficult. She still had happy moments but it no longer was all the time and we knew that shortly those happy moments would be gone.<br />
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I often feel and See the "shadow hounds" around here. But Cù was very close this whole time. He missed being in the same world as his closest packmate, she missed him. They are together again, this I know. They are with Irony, Bran and Scolaighe too, but importantly they are together. Always. I miss sharing this world with all my lovely hounds, their silken ears, their snuggles...but I know on some nights, I can still run with them under the moon. <br />
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<br />Saighhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08330045789400336110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-346922984872140451.post-5794396218516541452013-08-05T10:56:00.002-07:002013-08-05T10:57:56.351-07:00About a dog<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7hxdwpcCUyDQ85W9YEetmj8D299u81LMS5bHENchD62R5-CNuS_SNtncqZxa1sTYJdA5bmfzJVYqD-KS8vscI7Kf22x8A9oSOAu0WBlRlHhchK6pPE9_KJ4m8FihyphenhyphenALkjN5Ggz01JiSzX/s1600/Img_3486r.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7hxdwpcCUyDQ85W9YEetmj8D299u81LMS5bHENchD62R5-CNuS_SNtncqZxa1sTYJdA5bmfzJVYqD-KS8vscI7Kf22x8A9oSOAu0WBlRlHhchK6pPE9_KJ4m8FihyphenhyphenALkjN5Ggz01JiSzX/s320/Img_3486r.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.cyberpict.net/hounds/index.htm" rel="nofollow"><b>Cù Mór (Onaim Dogzilla)<br /> Born:August 24, 2002-adopted: January 30, 2010-died:July, 27, 2013</b></a></td></tr>
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When I last posted it was about how our activities here were all backburnered while we took care of our sick dog, Cù. Sadly, while at first things looked good that he might walk, aided, again, he took a turn for the worse and his body couldn't fight any longer. On the 27th we had to say good-bye to this wonderful soul.<br />
<br />
Cù was our fourth Greyhound we lost, the fifth one we adopted. Irony, Bran and Scolaighe were there to greet him and he is now buried with them. Òrlaith is now mourning her boy, as are the Aussie crosses Gleann and Sachairi.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijz3hy0CMin9MUGD0HZCZARLbvJjJJxPjP_EMImQZmFhaHHZSRz3hHIalDVSdsG8RQnRASou3-B4PZfCVxGP38OpLteZ9jGOyMjTJBa_pgIkYk17-GTNK4cme7Uy0aQsULmnd68vV90CBV/s1600/triocouchfll.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijz3hy0CMin9MUGD0HZCZARLbvJjJJxPjP_EMImQZmFhaHHZSRz3hHIalDVSdsG8RQnRASou3-B4PZfCVxGP38OpLteZ9jGOyMjTJBa_pgIkYk17-GTNK4cme7Uy0aQsULmnd68vV90CBV/s320/triocouchfll.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Those who came before: Irony, Bran and Scolaighe</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwPI8I1Aw9hi9zwI3MC097FsZLRIticNDdBhit6H85v_7-BMqrIL-OzxgEqyVH5HsFoE_xuFQmFufoNGnJuwF6waJ4tjVpBZ1tuiEucfUXCU36mzUhnmyVe_DsO9uUbWY0VSJWRFT6xRtZ/s1600/Img_3069cr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="127" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwPI8I1Aw9hi9zwI3MC097FsZLRIticNDdBhit6H85v_7-BMqrIL-OzxgEqyVH5HsFoE_xuFQmFufoNGnJuwF6waJ4tjVpBZ1tuiEucfUXCU36mzUhnmyVe_DsO9uUbWY0VSJWRFT6xRtZ/s200/Img_3069cr.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Snuggling Gleann</td></tr>
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Cù was really classically a Greyhound, with that ability they have to be simultaneously elegant and goofy. He loved to snuggle, whether it was people or other dogs. He could also be rambunctious and this <br />
sometimes confused people.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTt1qNIo0QJsjlXIu9g1Tf7csT8ZZSnaFWKxqgUMTUdGmX0ujFkZbk1GjvBiOJd3Zdl_qcJ99iSgm53UlM2gUzyNq_kVYzL70cXdfsLUagFr69rl59emeHnkE6RvEYnA4zg9SnGhNnjy3Q/s1600/Img_4005cr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTt1qNIo0QJsjlXIu9g1Tf7csT8ZZSnaFWKxqgUMTUdGmX0ujFkZbk1GjvBiOJd3Zdl_qcJ99iSgm53UlM2gUzyNq_kVYzL70cXdfsLUagFr69rl59emeHnkE6RvEYnA4zg9SnGhNnjy3Q/s200/Img_4005cr.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Snuggling Sach</td></tr>
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One story that sticks out is when we went to Chicago the year we adopted him, the pack, then him, Òrlaith and Gleann were so close we didn't want them in separate kennels as the kennels the place we were boarding in were large anyway. When they were going in to feed the day before we got back, they here a fight and found Òrlaith bleeding from the ear. Figuring that Cù had attacked her, as he was big and male and she was the one bleeding, they exiled him to another pen. We got there and, well, their story of him attacking her seemed off to us. When we got into the car, it was clear....that was not what happened. He cringed as far from her as he could get in the back of the car. When she moved he cringed further. Meanwhile, Gleann and Òrlaith snuggled.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA9XXEVtnMtyhcEjBtanINI9M1lsnzcCbMoaF3mAOLnnUwOO9v_XATbezRaEk_qc4mSzMAf0w2_YbZ2O6EC5oEe40tzDUcBB6mlzYd7EG59OhvHsqQLJyVDWkj5SlOGjX2FHq8O0M-SZli/s1600/Img_4084cr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA9XXEVtnMtyhcEjBtanINI9M1lsnzcCbMoaF3mAOLnnUwOO9v_XATbezRaEk_qc4mSzMAf0w2_YbZ2O6EC5oEe40tzDUcBB6mlzYd7EG59OhvHsqQLJyVDWkj5SlOGjX2FHq8O0M-SZli/s320/Img_4084cr.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They made up, of course</td></tr>
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When we got him home we took a closer look at him and he had two bites, not real deep but evident if you bothered to look. Òrlaith had no bite marks at all, just the scrapped ear. What obviously happened was he got excited, as meal times got him, and jumped on her, as he sometimes does to others but not her, usually. She corrected him, got her ear scraped by the unfortunately rough wall and the kennel staff, not knowing dogs very well, didn't even check to see if he was hurt, just punished him further by separating him. Which also delayed their making up and left him terrified of her for days. (no, we're not likely to board there ever again) <br />
<br />
While Cù might have been ruled by Òrlaith, he was a kindly patriarch to the fluffy boys. The closeness of them all was demonstrated often. Sadly, it's not demonstrated by their intense mourning.<br />
<br />
He apparently also remembered his first family. I became friendly with the woman who cares for one of his littermate sisters, Annie. We had taken Cù to be euthanized on Saturday morning, getting there just before noon. The vet came out and gave his sleep shot, then went back in to get the euthanasia drug and let the shot work while we petted and cuddled him. The noon bell rang. A few minutes later the vet came out and sent him to the other side, we never saw the exact time. At 12:06 Annie who had been sleeping woke up, startled. She spent the day being very clingy, which was unlike her. To us and to her person it's obvious he came by. <br />
<br />
Just as it's often clear he's here still at times. I'm sure he will be, with our other hounds, when we celebrate Lùnasdal later this month. <br />
<br />
I regret deeply that we were not able to help Cù as I had hoped. I do not regret the time we spent with him in his last weeks. Sometimes it was very hard, but that only makes the loss all the deeper. Our animals are our life, really, and our sacred trust. <br />
<br />
He was a magnificent, beautiful hound, showing a true legacy of the ancient <a href="http://dunsgathan.net/hounds/clthnd.htm" target="_blank">Celtic Hound</a> he was descended from. I know there is much more that should be said, but even after over a week, I seem unable to manage as well as I'd like. I'll update his page soon, but I still am not able to. Still dealing with this in steps.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmwjvFjGuePbX-OIJ9d14aisV1Af14L2lfy_9ZUC6ZvEsyKuZk8C_rJdU415iBFYG1QumqS9o3vZVHEUgu87JHLkFgDyW7Q2vQkDnEplDsQTkwp_xD0r_QElPt_CnuFfmFKWrbsaCaSZcR/s1600/Img_3123cr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmwjvFjGuePbX-OIJ9d14aisV1Af14L2lfy_9ZUC6ZvEsyKuZk8C_rJdU415iBFYG1QumqS9o3vZVHEUgu87JHLkFgDyW7Q2vQkDnEplDsQTkwp_xD0r_QElPt_CnuFfmFKWrbsaCaSZcR/s320/Img_3123cr.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cù demonstrating his ancestral hunting skills on a stuffy</td></tr>
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Saighhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08330045789400336110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-346922984872140451.post-17054928923617557022013-07-05T13:53:00.002-07:002013-07-05T15:07:39.645-07:00Already Dog Days<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I could be talking about the weather, because what we've had I do remember as typically hitting us here only in the end of July and beginning of August. But that's not all of it. But it does play a part.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5JPvQR9PYaphK96yrSuqnJMZ1A_TqPAhiD_dLM3GX6_WC2YAOAOIHGj-wRvB31poZkwMJv8U6UXWmWT6YnKtWVsGim8lzBTwYHIAxq7KHIDA3jiSSEpgKiSwC7D5dd52TRDAVgySpC6Sr/s1600/Img_4330cr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5JPvQR9PYaphK96yrSuqnJMZ1A_TqPAhiD_dLM3GX6_WC2YAOAOIHGj-wRvB31poZkwMJv8U6UXWmWT6YnKtWVsGim8lzBTwYHIAxq7KHIDA3jiSSEpgKiSwC7D5dd52TRDAVgySpC6Sr/s320/Img_4330cr.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cù in more limber days, showing himself to be a <a href="http://dunsgathan.net/hounds/clthnd.htm" target="_blank">True Celtic hound</a></td></tr>
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We started with a humid but rainless end of April and beginning of May. We were a bit worried about having a fire for Bealtuinne, especially after our neighbor set our woods on fire (he owns five acres on this side, right in the middle of ours, where his damn wood furnace sits way too much in the trees). But a few days before we were set to celebrate, we got enough rain to ease the fire danger. We had a lovely celebration. And a few nice days. <br />
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And then it kept raining, and kept warming up and stayed humid. Ever since. Dog Days.<br />
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We had lots of plans for chickens, gardens, fences and horses. Lots of horse stuff. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9es6h8N4XrygOneM_87P5RticAOoMvBO5e5SqMPs6e7NAPUZ6Wa4EGdn8qm9BLwfH1ScpFtEAcm-WKg7gTPSUTzSfgmYIRDWgyrOSc5a7pzhyvF8dzvDCa_7ZzjEQErBpiZxv5qtPKQgV/s1600/Img_4410cr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9es6h8N4XrygOneM_87P5RticAOoMvBO5e5SqMPs6e7NAPUZ6Wa4EGdn8qm9BLwfH1ScpFtEAcm-WKg7gTPSUTzSfgmYIRDWgyrOSc5a7pzhyvF8dzvDCa_7ZzjEQErBpiZxv5qtPKQgV/s320/Img_4410cr.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">He can't even lie like this anymore. </td></tr>
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And then.....Cù our male Greyhound, started getting wobbly in the back. He already had some lameness int his front for leg. And in the beginning of June he completely loss he use of his hind legs. Vet trip, ex-rays, meds.....sitting with him so he wouldn't' try to get p and hurt himself. Carrying him out for business. Mostly lying on his side, sometimes back. He had one good day after this started when he got himself up to lie on his belly. Which he can't do like this anymore. He can still get himself on his back, which he enjoys, but often we need to help. His left foreleg has gotten far worse, leaving him with one usable leg. Which really isn't usable alone. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9HHtSx1QIjDtWlaw0PHi8GAhgR33Iw7nYx3SoLb6ULtsS7j4TvTsYg0JWvNj8TwvA-X_1z9g6eAwNIoQS0-Utne4WI4e2R_qXsoq-d6KscAbSmyG1GA0iDfP-USn0iS0pnKH2aSJnKtsC/s1600/Img_3410cr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9HHtSx1QIjDtWlaw0PHi8GAhgR33Iw7nYx3SoLb6ULtsS7j4TvTsYg0JWvNj8TwvA-X_1z9g6eAwNIoQS0-Utne4WI4e2R_qXsoq-d6KscAbSmyG1GA0iDfP-USn0iS0pnKH2aSJnKtsC/s320/Img_3410cr.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">He sometimes would be alert!</td></tr>
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He was never a real active dog since we got him. Greyhounds are not on the go all the time, except when puppies. A good walk or run and then the couch or bed for most of the day is the lifestyle most hounds over 2 years old prefer. But after a month of this, I think even Cù, who might actually be the laziest hound we've had (we had <a href="http://dunsgathan.net/hounds/" target="_blank">three before the two we have now</a>) is getting a bit bored, however.<br />
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The issue appears to be spinal disc compression and arthritis. He's on Prednisone and pain meds and it seemed to help, but, of course, the Pred also ate his muscle tissue making him weaker. He can't stand at all.<br />
<br />
But he's happily eating, still loves snuggles (if it's not too hot...which has been an issue) and is eliminating fine, even if he can't get up on his own to do it....he usually manages to let us know and get him out in time and appears upset with himself when he has an accident, which is a good sign for his mental state. So we keep fighting for him.<br />
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We plan to get a harness which is made to actually carry him. I'm not really able to lift him, due to back problems and after a month, I don't think Aaron's back is holding out too well. This would allow us to carry him in a such a way to be easier on us and on him. It would also allow us to see if we can get him walking again. He needs more support than mot "walking harnesses" would give. We might need another harness for his hind end, as well, but that certainly wouldn't be enough.<br />
<br />
His left foreleg may not be usable again. While the Pred sand inactivity atrophied his muscle all over, the left front is seriously atrophied. He can kick his hind legs and his right foreleg when dreaming and use his right foreleg to try to move himself....and to reach out to touch us, but the left foreleg only twitches. So we think that's really a separate issue, just worsened by the other.<br />
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So we also want to see about getting him downstate to be seen by another vet, one with a lot of Greyhound experience.<br />
<br />
Between the harness, the medical bills we have, the ones we're looking at and the fact neither of us is now working full time and need to spend more time here with him even if we could get more work (which is a big if, anyway), we have decided to <a href="http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/help-cu-walk-again/x/3809952" target="_blank">ask for help through crowdfunding</a>. I have also decided that as writing is work, especially the more heavily researched bits which tend to be <a href="http://dunsgathan.net/essays/index.htm" target="_blank">here</a>, <a href="http://caithream.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">here</a> and, at least one so far, <a href="http://dunsgathan.net/caithream/" target="_blank">here</a>. <br />
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So, yeah, this is one part "why I'm not posting much" and one part "if you can spare a bit to help our poor dog, please do" post. We appreciate any help, including prayers and passing word along. We know he could have good life. He just needs a little help getting up again. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiZajCKNKUHnSv7IhhtxFmETv9aN_aNIWwMty3p_ast5pSOBRaylvNq3e928BRf6bu7WSywGSOaWzNxNCYuWAh3sqUQZdRkplIxBfMet1dKT-cU_MPyZxzO6_C1M1m9GQZ2cEfEcCybD3T/s1600/Img_4087cr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiZajCKNKUHnSv7IhhtxFmETv9aN_aNIWwMty3p_ast5pSOBRaylvNq3e928BRf6bu7WSywGSOaWzNxNCYuWAh3sqUQZdRkplIxBfMet1dKT-cU_MPyZxzO6_C1M1m9GQZ2cEfEcCybD3T/s320/Img_4087cr.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The whole pack together</td></tr>
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<br />Saighhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08330045789400336110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-346922984872140451.post-64275584513905336852013-04-22T09:39:00.003-07:002013-04-22T09:40:11.780-07:00Circle, circle<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisL4UQ5xh9DFXuNMKHx10Xm2Pwl862MCHNvFN7-iFd53zDoBRL7hueZyfmM8qNjfIhSgAcTXI2D9ZCu5VFy5Sy6imVAf_xJBs5S6cittauNAKjuUucNT3Kt-R8f7vV4K6w06FmDCyjAw65/s1600/Img_4385c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisL4UQ5xh9DFXuNMKHx10Xm2Pwl862MCHNvFN7-iFd53zDoBRL7hueZyfmM8qNjfIhSgAcTXI2D9ZCu5VFy5Sy6imVAf_xJBs5S6cittauNAKjuUucNT3Kt-R8f7vV4K6w06FmDCyjAw65/s320/Img_4385c.jpg" width="201" /></a>I was going to post shortly after Imbolg but realized that it was sounding an awful lot like the post I had done the year before. Except some of our "cupboards" weren't as well stocked due to life while we dd have more <br />
chicken in the freezer and eggs. We've been eating a lot of eggs. Sometimes things just circle around. <br />
<br />
More recently anything I posted here would have been just about the weather. While many complained about it, this spring was much more "normal" than last, with no early warming spell to bring on a huge population of insects (while our bats are nearly wiped out by White Nose Syndrome). It's still quite cool, with the snow now finally gone from our mountain except for a patch here and there in well shaded woods, despite a light snowfall two nights ago which was gone by mid-day.<br />
<br />
And so, we are back on our mission to find a way to fence in the gardens so that we get something instead of them just feeding the goat. ~;p Maybe I'll have something to write about that later, but I will likely only do so if we win. Or there is something funny to share. Meanwhile, this hasn't been updated because life is kind of quiet and boring. Much of my winter and spring has been focused on writing, possibly for publication (which, due to subject matter, I'm most likely to announce at <a href="http://caithream.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Flying with the Hooded Crow</a>) Now, of course, there is fencing and building and preparing and, soon, planting.Oh, and cleaning, lots and lots of cleaning now that the snow is gone.Saighhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08330045789400336110noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-346922984872140451.post-32672857484982387062012-12-21T14:42:00.001-08:002012-12-21T14:42:53.058-08:00Catching up to winter It's the Winter Solstice and I've realized I've not yet posted about Samhuinn at all. I had a few things kicking around I was going to write about then, like the meaning of sacrifice. After all, I see a lot of people prattling on about animal sacrifice who aren't actually involved in the raising of food animals and most of it is ludicrous. I mean some is the idea that you can by factory-farmed meat and "sacrifice" it but one bunch actually proudly proclaims they "sacrifice" the "blood" they think is in the bottom off their packages of frozen (factory-farmed no doubt) chicken. Dearies, that's not blood, that's <b>blood tinged water</b> and it's a <b>waste product</b>. You seriously offer to your Gods that which normal people throw away? I'm sorry there's something wrong with that.<br />
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Obviously, not everyone is raising any of their own food animals so doing a sacrifice is not possible. I do believe you can do a meat offering with purchased meat, but I'm going to maintain that it really should be purchased with consideration including not using factory farmed meat for offerings. Even if YOU choose to eat factory farmed meat, consider that perhaps you want to splurge if you are buying for them. There are enough resources to find pasture-raised meat in any given area, after all. But also do on think that it is the same as sacrificing an animal you raised from infancy, that you cared for and nurtured and made sure had the best life you could provide for him. Because it's just not. It's an offering.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lucky (left) with Pops (right) and two hens</td></tr>
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Shortly before Samhuinn we did our chicken sacrifice, killing all but one of this year's cockerels. This did include offering the best one to the Gods. We hadn't planned on keeping any, but one little guy who had somehow worked his way into the older flock, with our older rooster, Pops, accepting him after the younger rooster, Sonny, (we don't work real hard in naming our chickens) had gone and taken over the pullets in this year's hatch. Most of the other cockerels had been separated out already, two others managed to live with Sonny okay, but this one head to take Sonny's place in the other flock. I had wanted to keep him, Aaron got me to agree to dispatch him as well, but then he escaped. Found a hole the others didn't. So I put my foot down, he might not be real big or real flashy but he was real smart so he got to live. He still lives with Pops and his hens, but we may eventually try to establish three flocks. Or not. The other factor is that if something happens to either of the other two, we have him. We seem to be calling him "Lucky" but I don't think luck had much to do with it. I think he's a bit of a con artist, but I like that about him. It's a good survival skill in the very complicated society of chickens.<br />
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I would have also liked to have written about how things were going with the mares, but we got rain. Lots of rain. Serious ground-soaking too much mud to do much sort of rain. Which then froze the mud into nasty, hard ground. So we didn't work with them a lot. A bit of brushing if the rain let up long enough for them to be dry, as much game playing as the mushy and then frozen ground allows. Now we have snow, well today it's turning to slush in a winter rain but I'm hoping it will turn back to snow without painfully frozen slush that resembles that painfully frozen mud. Meanwhile we seem to be settling into a nice winter routine with the four horses and the goat. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3nJ82KFkYuqyFSO-nx-fF5DhfwsKGale-0LjtpvIKNmCemjoNLk6eymJsfSO5Q_OBovadinK94ME4aYldPDjoMaODMGLb4ORrcCYYOI40g3oxCeTEemurHPqCKHxKzyMhaoQO9lA3-FsZ/s1600/Img_4378cer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3nJ82KFkYuqyFSO-nx-fF5DhfwsKGale-0LjtpvIKNmCemjoNLk6eymJsfSO5Q_OBovadinK94ME4aYldPDjoMaODMGLb4ORrcCYYOI40g3oxCeTEemurHPqCKHxKzyMhaoQO9lA3-FsZ/s200/Img_4378cer.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhibiJ3697XEmW52NFED6BJ7yGY83t26Bl1c4o-8B1fIEmFD9dvs7VswYvMuGqBRZY4cF_TpD84R_K6w7MyL2yVcVo-r3I0OKnFYK7Xat1OKKmIGNmu09ZSDxzvoK5ADAr_8ZM_TQe0PrqB/s1600/Img_4379er.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>So not a lot to talk about which is why I hadn't. We survived Superstorm Sandy which actually wasn't so super by the time she got here so we were again lucky. Or, as I keep noting when others say something nasty about our weather...we found a good place, nestled here in the mountains, when it comes to storms we never seem to get the <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhibiJ3697XEmW52NFED6BJ7yGY83t26Bl1c4o-8B1fIEmFD9dvs7VswYvMuGqBRZY4cF_TpD84R_K6w7MyL2yVcVo-r3I0OKnFYK7Xat1OKKmIGNmu09ZSDxzvoK5ADAr_8ZM_TQe0PrqB/s1600/Img_4379er.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhibiJ3697XEmW52NFED6BJ7yGY83t26Bl1c4o-8B1fIEmFD9dvs7VswYvMuGqBRZY4cF_TpD84R_K6w7MyL2yVcVo-r3I0OKnFYK7Xat1OKKmIGNmu09ZSDxzvoK5ADAr_8ZM_TQe0PrqB/s200/Img_4379er.jpg" width="200" /></a>worse. *knockswood* We celebrated Samhuinn about mid-November, had a nice fire followed by a nice meal. Aaron found a 7lb turnip for our Jack, as our swede growing attempts failed (seriously we need to figure out the goat-proof fencing thing better). So this was damn nice. The m<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhibiJ3697XEmW52NFED6BJ7yGY83t26Bl1c4o-8B1fIEmFD9dvs7VswYvMuGqBRZY4cF_TpD84R_K6w7MyL2yVcVo-r3I0OKnFYK7Xat1OKKmIGNmu09ZSDxzvoK5ADAr_8ZM_TQe0PrqB/s1600/Img_4379er.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>eal was one of our chickens with veggies, including most of the inside of the turnip...we actually had too much from it fit it all in the clay cooker. Next year hope to grow our own but matching this size might take a few years.<br />
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Now we're settling into winter routine. The past week has been one of sadness and contemplation. And annoyance at rampant stupidity. I think a lot of my winter will be like I am right now, surrounded by snuggling dogs, trying to write and realizing I should get out to check the outside animals and the fires soon. Saighhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08330045789400336110noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-346922984872140451.post-14842864030480920152012-08-08T11:54:00.000-07:002012-08-08T11:54:13.900-07:00And as summer starts winding down Summer arrived, we did celebrate Bealtuinn, it was a lovely ritual and it poured rain at the point where I did the omen for the blessing...all things considered, we took that as a good blessing. The summer came on hot though, real hot. Okay, it has not been as hot here as many places, and while a bit dry for us we have no drought, so we can't complain. Might a bit more if we got as serious with planting as we intended to, some here have been hurt by the weather...but battles of fences and goats meant we were prepared not to have much of a domestic harvest.<br />
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The chick have grown, with two more losses including the one that wasn't growing. The wild geese, which were three families this year, have grown too. One family is gone, um, as I write I'm not sure about the other two as they've both been flying but returning....today may have been the day. We'll likely see them, but not be able to pick them out, as the flocks fly south in a couple of months. We also have had one family of Mergansers born and brought up on the pond, that we know of; there is always a chance that another family might have been a bit more private about it. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjscprBVkUQc5fSOLwEarNYZxluwaSQzIEyJz79rXQhWMv5wdVkJatF68ZyqMz1LGgVmIFMtBEgPkC2E48FR2j1_tqVFpYJY7WnS5xox0BTxtVJIxqmki7hsYTn3J4bxk31-PJC_YL7EuSp/s1600/Img_4282cr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjscprBVkUQc5fSOLwEarNYZxluwaSQzIEyJz79rXQhWMv5wdVkJatF68ZyqMz1LGgVmIFMtBEgPkC2E48FR2j1_tqVFpYJY7WnS5xox0BTxtVJIxqmki7hsYTn3J4bxk31-PJC_YL7EuSp/s200/Img_4282cr.jpg" width="160" /></a></div> A huge part of our focus this year, what with me no longer working nights, has been us catching up on working with the horses. And while it's an all seasons thing, I wrote last year that we call our Lùnasdal celebration here "<a href="http://dunsgathan.blogspot.com/2011/08/lunasdalla-fheill-mhacha.html" target="_blank">Là Fhéill Mhacha</a>" and that we do have an even stronger <a href="http://dunsgathan.blogspot.com/2011/08/lunasdal-is-about-horses.html" target="_blank">focus on horses</a> for this celebration than others, although, again, horses like dogs are always a part of what we do. It was a time of horse racing and still is of horse fairs, although as I wrote elsewhere this summer <a href="http://shewhofreeshorses.blogspot.com/2012/07/horse-racing-at-lughnasadh.html" target="_blank">I do not believe going to or watching modern professional horse races is a very spiritual experience, especially not for the poor horses</a>. You are, after all, supporting horse slaughter every time you do so. <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOIRsXcehyphenhyphenUgmsL2zEuEO8eX7L2ctz4WjdyeDJA3iZX0gaWoJ4MKruSXDFbhK0vEoCCIfUItgYv6lTU1876vgY6RGf0-PhsWHjPpFhJtxj4jk8UUvBZ48nYpd66Z_nKbDNG4YigG8TurcC/s1600/Img_4273cr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOIRsXcehyphenhyphenUgmsL2zEuEO8eX7L2ctz4WjdyeDJA3iZX0gaWoJ4MKruSXDFbhK0vEoCCIfUItgYv6lTU1876vgY6RGf0-PhsWHjPpFhJtxj4jk8UUvBZ48nYpd66Z_nKbDNG4YigG8TurcC/s200/Img_4273cr.jpg" width="165" /></a><br />
I'm feeling this celebration is very special, as this summer has been very much focused on training Saorsa, getting to know Misty, trying to keep the Mini boys from being bored. No longer working nights, I've been able to spend a lot more time out with the horses with all of us awake (you know, when it's not been too sweltering, so sometimes it is evening). Between me having more time to play with her and Misty being her herd, perhaps some maturing as well now that she's 5, Saorsa has made some great strides. In fact, it's been amazing! She's still bold and daring, but not as pushy and rude as she was.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLsibdasVH1LsXMqLjK1FY01uqB9rqViaCOwUYYlYht1983DPHQa-D7Q_-ezPFkt7p0vnBv-8rVFWQq-0WyJAU_xRMASP8uH9cixzAAvCi6Use57XP0Fd9k7dL5Kpzq6F1NGDB1lw8JfO-/s1600/Img_4290r.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLsibdasVH1LsXMqLjK1FY01uqB9rqViaCOwUYYlYht1983DPHQa-D7Q_-ezPFkt7p0vnBv-8rVFWQq-0WyJAU_xRMASP8uH9cixzAAvCi6Use57XP0Fd9k7dL5Kpzq6F1NGDB1lw8JfO-/s200/Img_4290r.jpg" width="133" /></a>This has included me finally riding her.We did or first trail ride on August 5th, so now our "Great Horse Unrace" can now include actual riding again. Maybe we'll even start racing for fun by next year. We'll see. We need to get boots for them first or do it in the field though, as the gravelly road does not inspire them to want to move very fast. Saorsa, in fact, acts like an old plug who has been trail riding for years. It's been three times. This is slow, steady training using Natural Horsemanship methods at work. She's been on the road many times, without a rider, after all. Having a rider seems to be nothing to her, she just was, "oh, okay, so now you're going to do all this stuff from up there? Kinda lazy, then, ain't ya?"<br />
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She's really turning into a seriously awesome horse. Um, aside from shots. She does not like shots. She is not very forgiving of shots. Shots bring back the old, scary, "I'm going to maul you now!" Saorsa. Fortunately, in NH we can give our own shots, all of them, and the vet is more than happy with this idea (because getting to live can outweigh making money, sometimes, I mean what would he do with it if he's dead? and he's just a nice guy, anyway). Of course, this will work only as long as we don't do anything that requires certification. We don't exactly have any immediate plans to do anything other than hang out and ride here, so that's not a problem. If my dreams of doing Search and Rescue with her or any sort of fun competitions (I have no interest in showing, but do have a mild interest in mounted Cowboy shooting which I think she has the moxie for or something like that...just fun...and not economical at this point anyway, especially as the nearest mounted team I know of is in NY state).<br />
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The mares have ended up with the run of the place, actually. Did I mention we seem to be having some issues with fencing. The not very good fencing blocking off the driveways doesn't seem to be a problem, as after a <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKG6NfXI8CSURwIZiKJM7LAB5wBgg6IBN5zl_tT00KCDYxOgIeEuMNQccf0CkMu_STyY9m271K_bUu5Yi9blHyDsBLfLtIOGmgczk-xni_M662RtizVwZadpUix3W3EkQcLaq20IjlNUwK/s1600/Img_4223cr.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKG6NfXI8CSURwIZiKJM7LAB5wBgg6IBN5zl_tT00KCDYxOgIeEuMNQccf0CkMu_STyY9m271K_bUu5Yi9blHyDsBLfLtIOGmgczk-xni_M662RtizVwZadpUix3W3EkQcLaq20IjlNUwK/s200/Img_4223cr.jpg" width="200" /></a>couple of adventures, neither seem to be interested in leaving us. *knockwood* So we decided to put aside the rest of the fencing and let them wander. They come to the door to visit or to ask for help when one <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJoK7VduNhhHxBWeA1sU_j4caHejTQ6JeH3eCPPpRUyHrmww4aU2TBHBDYLabr2poJJfRwsKt5gIa4dSWjadD9Yrv7wKt7S5xLTDG11XXf-sXA1DNNV84notw91GxwT64susCUYrERGl30/s1600/Img_4297cr.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="117" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJoK7VduNhhHxBWeA1sU_j4caHejTQ6JeH3eCPPpRUyHrmww4aU2TBHBDYLabr2poJJfRwsKt5gIa4dSWjadD9Yrv7wKt7S5xLTDG11XXf-sXA1DNNV84notw91GxwT64susCUYrERGl30/s200/Img_4297cr.jpg" width="200" /></a>loses track of the other while they graze. And Saorsa is free to swim in the pond as she likes, although Misty doesn't approve. (Despite the heat she didn't seem to do this much, perhaps because Misty was so pissed at her last May ..left hand photo....but today she ventured back in... right hand photo). Oh, and as I typed this paragraph they just trotted by to head for the shelter of the barn, apparently it's nap time. <br />
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So, summer has been horses, walking and playing with dogs, Aaron getting more shifts with the ambulance, job hunting (I admit, him more than me), some work on building a business (me), trying to keep up training while it's broiling inside and out, working on the place and a bit of writing (me). I actually have a few things cooking, one which I thought I'd be announcing all over the place but my own online posting of it is going to be delayed. I may be telling why over at <a href="http://caithream.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Championing Ourselves</a> in the next few weeks (or months), but suffice it to say that my War Goddesses article will not be seeing light until about Samhuinn either way. Yes, it's been a good summer. We have much to celebrate...which should be within a week.Saighhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08330045789400336110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-346922984872140451.post-80687959515751644152012-05-01T17:41:00.001-07:002012-05-01T18:08:38.339-07:00Sumer Is Icumen In.....Yes, I know that's an Old English song and not Celtic, but as part of my Bealtuinn practice always includes watching <i>The Wicker Man</i> (the original, of course) it's totally stuck in my head. (This year we also watched <i>The Wicker Tree</i>. I had considered doing a review, but I don't think I'll bother anymore than I'll bother ever watching it again. No, it won't be part of our tradition. It was quite dreadful, although not as horrible as the remake with Nicolas Cage, and boring. I don't know if Hardy never did get what the actual happy accident that made <i>The Wicker Man</i> a Pagan cult hit or if he intentionally decided to just bore us to death but it was very sad and I'm not going to put any energy into anticipating his next film. Anyway.....)<br />
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We're a couple weeks and a lot of word from celebrating as of yet. Work has begun, pastures, chickens, gardens. It's all slow but .... We are also planning a fenced in yard and it turns out friends of ours are getting rid of theirs...so we have some chain link and some of the parts for it to use! This means we'll have a better fence than we initially were planning, only having to buy the gates and some parts and concrete. And then do the work. This will give the hounds a place to romp off leash and an area protected from the goat and the horses when they get out (which they do a lot, this spring, lots of fence work in our future there, too). We'll have some of our gardens in there, including trying to salvage some of my parents' flowers.<br />
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We're also doing a good deal more in cleaning up the entire house, making it more and more our space. This is a rather difficult thing for me, as it means going through my parents' things and changing the house from how they had it to what we need. I want to get it so that we can have company over on the A-frame side, so that not everyone who visits has to immediately deal with our crazy dog pack and to have a roomier place to sit. I also want the kitchen all fixed up for future canning and other bigger food projects. The little one in our "in-law" apartment is often difficult to work in even for what we're doing right now. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">March 29, just arrived</td></tr>
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As I noted in my<a href="http://dunsgathan.blogspot.com/2012/03/adventures-in-corned-beef-and-other.html"> last post</a>, we got another bunch of Silver Gray Dorking chicks, they arrived safely and so far 22 of the 25 are still with us. One is tiny, not growing and seems gimpy, but eats, drinks and poops and seems enthusiastic about life so we're giving her a chance. The other chicks are not picking on her, although she does get run over when they get excited (which is all the time).<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On April 16</td></tr>
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In the next couple of days we intend to separate the two Dorking roosters we have along with half the Dorking hens each and one with the hybrid as well. We'll see if we can get a couple hatches, hopefully brooded by the hens, out of this. We might incubate some eggs as well. We don't plan to keep any of the males of this batch past fall, we'll keep the two roosters we have and the new hens and try to keep the lines as diverse as we can with that.<br />
<br />
We are not going to get the Scots Dumpies this year, unless we have some radical developments which makes all this too easy and we need to get more. We now wouldn't be able to until July, which is rather late and I'd rather aim for next year. And get more experience with these guys. I do intend to have the Dumpies some day, I really do. However, I also want a lot of things set up better, because we really want to be able to make major strides in knowing how to breed and keep the flock thriving before we attempt it. And, honestly, I love the Dorkings, they are a beautiful and quite nice birds.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKRO7EghZ29ht6G_KI6F9idRMfyxNZuZf32cvIcmFqeYGdPgtwH8DTnuVWAIlNooMKhe3_wL7Z8kyvTFP7IeXYIISe41EG3lwLdBhSx3Fyi2h3OIlDxKn5IeQUlsQvbkBAGjvTHo5Xugh0/s1600/Img_4083cr.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="123" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKRO7EghZ29ht6G_KI6F9idRMfyxNZuZf32cvIcmFqeYGdPgtwH8DTnuVWAIlNooMKhe3_wL7Z8kyvTFP7IeXYIISe41EG3lwLdBhSx3Fyi2h3OIlDxKn5IeQUlsQvbkBAGjvTHo5Xugh0/s200/Img_4083cr.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
April 16, our little girl next to a normal sized female </div>
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<br />
The past week or so has been chilly to cold. We had snow a few days ago and night temps in the teens. This after hot weather in March. I'm a bit concerned about a lot of our trees and bushes, as they had been budding when this hit, and some of our perennials were up and may now be done for the season early. And others might not make it this year. Fortunately, we hadn't been fooled into planting anything outdoors yet.<br />
<br />
We've been exploring the land a bit, it's nice to together now, as for years our schedules didn't allow. Yesterday we heard coywolf puppies not far from here while walking the fuzzy dogs. Aaron kept them with him while I followed the sound. It was distressed, although I knew I wouldn't go too close or interfere if I did find them as there is seldom a reason to. The adults were likely off hunting. They went quiet as I got close, I looked around, hoping to see an adult returning having heard them too and probably close enough to know we were there. I didn't actually look for the den, just tried to see if I could make out where there might have been more activity. I am hoping they don't feel a need to move them, as I didn't find them, and I will try staking out the area when the pups are a bit older to see if I can get any photos. I went back to Aaron and the dogs, awhile later we heard the pups again, this time a very different cry which likely indicated the adults coming back. I love these beasts. Yes, I know that seems odd to some that a chicken farmer says that, but it's my duty to protect the chickens without harming the possible competition.Saighhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08330045789400336110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-346922984872140451.post-10020837484692988082012-03-28T13:59:00.000-07:002012-03-28T13:59:52.562-07:00Adventures in corned beef and other foodie stuff<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6DmbmStPBnnjTuwpYbwjfRbQRtQxanqqadus5Uxikxy1bqBpzhy01ZX9wxsGn-morTHDZOH6KSXQTZ_gX5mRVJF6_guL9agdyoRxJ6cZdg6xZIoLqyx1p5HBeBOl0LkVtcxes26VD26Az/s1600/Img_4060cr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh-yCOK5MoyjM4RMcAjSVQ1H8YMkMXaplQ9k1dw6kzQmPaJOoDLB-_ERoPuNSr3ZMvX3TrWzay3WtYOvGinPLQIZ9AwdoHDhVgUbg1I4bvkH7aYOSzTcYWj3qQ1bAnJXc_NQBDjRK-njyN/s1600/Img_4061r.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh-yCOK5MoyjM4RMcAjSVQ1H8YMkMXaplQ9k1dw6kzQmPaJOoDLB-_ERoPuNSr3ZMvX3TrWzay3WtYOvGinPLQIZ9AwdoHDhVgUbg1I4bvkH7aYOSzTcYWj3qQ1bAnJXc_NQBDjRK-njyN/s200/Img_4061r.jpg" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beet Kvass brewing</td></tr>
</tbody></table>I think we might officially be entering the foodie world. While we have been dedicated to real food for awhile, sometimes it's hard to see us in this light, but I think it's getting hard to avoid. We're also fermenting things, that's a big step in this for us. Aaron has been the one making kefir, I've just started a batch of beet kvass.<br />
<br />
But our big adventure has been in corned beef. The past few weeks had the subject brought up a lot due to the association with Irish American St. Patrick's Day dinners. Of course, as we're Pagan it gets drowned out a bit by all the <a href="http://www.patheos.com/blogs/wildhunt/2012/03/saint-patrick-druids-snakes-and-popular-myths.html">various blather on the implications of the day</a>. As we're more Scottishly inclined, I didn't feel a need to voice in on that and our only celebration was to go to a local coffee house to listen to music (which was a nice sociable thing to try to break out hermity ways). But there were enough mentions of corned beef and cabbage that I did start craving and then Nourshed Kitchen, a lovely blog you should check out if you're interested in real food, had <a href="http://nourishedkitchen.com/home-cured-corned-beef/">this post on curing your own corned beef</a>.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfd7HZRo16DiZIZqTH4n7jmUrxcLvX6ic9Jg94KMr6FtVeEr05-KQK2tYhoK_-FT_DwSqxgqQVZDXYWuwyq0degKnlA8btDGF1Ys45-p37UeWTQbf49sRfeCcAJf0xYh92nKS5dNuxUFWV/s1600/Img_4035r.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfd7HZRo16DiZIZqTH4n7jmUrxcLvX6ic9Jg94KMr6FtVeEr05-KQK2tYhoK_-FT_DwSqxgqQVZDXYWuwyq0degKnlA8btDGF1Ys45-p37UeWTQbf49sRfeCcAJf0xYh92nKS5dNuxUFWV/s200/Img_4035r.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The roast before</td></tr>
</tbody></table>As it's awfully hard to find grass-fed corned beef on a whim, we decided to go for this. Of course, we got started rather late to do it for St. Paddy's but that's not an issue. For me corned beef is not about St. Paddy's Day or about "being Irish." It's about being a New Englander with a <i>Québécois</i> father. It was an important meal, cheap, hardy, filling, savory on both sides of my family. The truth is that in the Northeast corned beef isn't about a ethnicity it's about class. It's a meal of the people. Of course, for boiled dinner it's not generally just corned beef and cabbage, but a variety of root vegetables as well. Things that get through the winter, which does make it quintessentially March meal. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7LGN7TeAtenpA9dYfESc7wVMJ2_uvPtPOd0kTuHXZv-VOvSlrvNR7Mckmx4_SzIUUvzl8Kc9CY2-TVswZJ4wJdXJaKpwKcJr_6UONY___-Rm3IK_oJfKPHX6LGes5Jg_aj6st4d1oDjHT/s1600/Img_4037r.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7LGN7TeAtenpA9dYfESc7wVMJ2_uvPtPOd0kTuHXZv-VOvSlrvNR7Mckmx4_SzIUUvzl8Kc9CY2-TVswZJ4wJdXJaKpwKcJr_6UONY___-Rm3IK_oJfKPHX6LGes5Jg_aj6st4d1oDjHT/s200/Img_4037r.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In the whey, salt and spices<br />
</td></tr>
</tbody> </table>We have a few roast cuts from our last half-a-cow, although not a brisket apparently, but figured this piece would do although a bit more fat might have been nice. Of course, before we could start the curing of the beef, we needed to make the whey. This was something I had been intending to do as it's useful stuff and so the cream cheese which is the other side of the process. This, of course, took several days, in fact a bit more than we though it might. We went by Sally Fallon's <u>Nourishing Traditions</u> for this process. We did some raw milk and some raw milk yogurt, obviously the former took <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready to cook</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>longer than the latter. We skipped the celery juice as we don't have a juicer anyway and would have had to buy celery (probably not local at this time of year). <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cooking</td></tr>
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Once the whey was separated out we put the spices and salt on the meat and poured the whey over it all. We left it out for one day at room temp but the moved it into the refrigerator for 5 (or so days, we aren't remembering this the same LOL). Then we took it out and got it going in the crockpot. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's food!<br />
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We added turnips, parsnips, carrots and, of course the cabbage.This is, after all, not corned beef and cabbage but New England Boiled Dinner.<br />
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And amazingly it tasted just like New England Boiled Dinner!<br />
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We still have a few meals of it. We are also left with some cream cheese for various things, as well as more whey which allowed us to start the beet kvass.<br />
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We've been taking baby steps in to a lot of this over the years, but getting more and more into it. Cooking isn't something that we've been the strongest about, but it's an important part. Especially as I've always had health issues which makes this very important to me, both the eating as traditionally as possible and the eating a lot of traditionally fermented foods. I am one of many I know who screwed up my system through years of vegetarianism and "mainstream" food. It's amazing to me as I look at "the big 5 0" in a few weeks that I am as healthy as I ever remember being in my adult life. And this has been largely due to eating real food. Some which we raise ourselves, some which we buy locally and all of which we prepare in traditional ways.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtts7ckIZBt2_-sX2pfEvRuyzklamIGgB79GU1qK6I-GzgMm2hyphenhypheni8ihAwZqPu-LJxE-6jxGHu4pafT5Ec6h2cIwgQjMJLqF48h3MWFr-6D0Hgd27ghyw9CS611NlzJyXsT2dvZcDmEShzq/s1600/Img_4047cr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtts7ckIZBt2_-sX2pfEvRuyzklamIGgB79GU1qK6I-GzgMm2hyphenhypheni8ihAwZqPu-LJxE-6jxGHu4pafT5Ec6h2cIwgQjMJLqF48h3MWFr-6D0Hgd27ghyw9CS611NlzJyXsT2dvZcDmEShzq/s200/Img_4047cr.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
Speaking of raising, regarding the <a href="http://dunsgathan.blogspot.com/2012/02/in-spring-middle-aged-womans-fancy.html">chicken hopes I mentioned awhile back</a>, we are still not sure about the Scots Dumpies, although if we are indecisive too long the decision will be made for this year. And I am thinking that we probably won't get them this year. But we will get them. So while we considered getting White or Red Dorkings, as there are two NH farms which offer one or the other, we decided to just stick with the Silver Grays. We are going to try to breed some of ours, but as I write this there are 25 newly hatched chicks on their way here.Saighhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08330045789400336110noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-346922984872140451.post-23083629897996089242012-03-28T11:43:00.001-07:002012-03-28T11:47:10.228-07:00You are what you do, not what you study<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFOthUBZthRMAfazwuLz40MfPSM_3c37hbOs_jw942uB6OekiRaYMj-6ALtj8ZfiJZK-c9Qpfsf0WllADBPp83B0pEifZKXBKUK_rjPG0Y_rxyo2-LOudJAqk4_S0FxlJW1T6XMBZKOkQI/s1600/Img_4055cr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFOthUBZthRMAfazwuLz40MfPSM_3c37hbOs_jw942uB6OekiRaYMj-6ALtj8ZfiJZK-c9Qpfsf0WllADBPp83B0pEifZKXBKUK_rjPG0Y_rxyo2-LOudJAqk4_S0FxlJW1T6XMBZKOkQI/s320/Img_4055cr.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is a moose, your argument is irrelevant</td></tr>
</tbody></table>I have been using this mostly just for homestead related issues, but I think this actually relates to some extent. I will, however, most likely use this blog to delve into Celtic Reconstructionist Pagan and Heathen matters here, if they do not more relate to the warrior path where I'm more likely to do so at <a href="http://caithream.blogspot.com/">Championing Ourselves</a>. The idea of starting yet another blog is just to much. I find it odd that I've divided my life as much as I have, actually. <br />
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<br />
This topic also fits here for me, because this is very much a blog about living this life, rather than studying it. This is also true of Championing Ourselves, of course. In both cases research plays a major role, of course, research into Gaelic and Norse cultures, but here also research in various arts, crafts and sciences of living this life. However, research is only to lead to living, it can not be the only thing..it is not what defines us. <br />
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It seems that some folks now want to define a "Celtic Reconstructionist" as <i>only</i> someone who studies, who is themselves a scholar. That anyone who isn't cracking the books seriously cannot be called a CR. This would mean that my husband who has done minimal study isn't a proper Reconstructionist in their view. My husband who has been practicing this for nearly 20 years now, who can remember every detail of every discussion he's been in, who actually know more about the lore (both Gaelic and Norse) from what he's picked up over the years than some of these folks relying on questionable tertiary sources and who has been in and lead ritual for, again, nearly 20 years is apparently not qualified because he prefers to research farming, alternative energy and politics; he reads some lore and history, but not a lot. Fuck that shit! <br />
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CR was never meant to be a "religion of scholars" it was, rather meant to be a scholarly based religion. Really, I no longer consider it "a religion" it ceased being that a long time ago when others took up the term and it came to mean many thing, that is that there are many CR religions, it is a methodology. That methodology is a combination of scholarship and experience. But not everyone who decides to follow a religion using this methodology are going to be doing the work. Yes, that was true of most of us 20 odd years ago when we didn't have community, but in order for CR to mean anything, anything at all, we must be open to those who have other things than scholarship to share.<br />
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Celtic Reconstructionists have a horrible reputation not just in the broader NeoPagan community, (and yes, we <i>are</i> NeoPagan, we are in fact among the newest), but also among other Reconstructionists and think this issue may well be one which has caused this. Because there may be a valid reason why everyone sees us only as fighting online. Because far too many fancy themselves scholars and tell others that they're not welcome if they're not too. Although some of us (I have from the beginning) have tried to make everyone welcome, I have seen people be attacked, viciously sometimes, for wanting to find practice without having to do research.<br />
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Okay, so part of me might resent it a little because off all the work I've had to do being one of the first. But the point is that there has to be room for both those who are and those who can offer other things. Including just community. Because we are just elitists assholes sitting alone in front of our computers if we can't build community. I have seen many in Asatru, Nova Roma and Hellenism who have been welcoming of those who wish to do, to worship, to commune, to live inside their religions without all those people being scholars. And yes, some argue about things online too. But they don't share our reputation about it because it's far clearer that's not all they do.<br />
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I have seen people complain about not having community, about their family members not being "interested" only to realize that they have themselves destroyed any interest their friends or family members may have had by requiring that everyone do the same amount of Research. I have seen people claim that they can't include their kids because kids are too young to do The Research. They're whining about not having a community but they've destroyed it by making absurd demands on people.<br />
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CR is over 20 years old now. When it began there was a lot of need for scholarship and there still is. But scholarship is<i> not</i> depending on tertiary sources and rehashing the same things. So what we needed then was more general, "let's get this started" research with some beginnings of serious scholarship. What we need now, actually, are more people doing down right serious, primary sources (translating even) focused study. Most of the people I have seen claiming we all must be scholars are not doing this level of work and often depending on previous work that is fairly easy to obtain but often was very generalized and included misinformation that even academics not focused on specifics of a particular issue fall into. We don't need more of that, we need more serious research and exploration.<br />
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We also need those who are not real scholars, both those who realize they are not and shouldn't be bullied about it and those who think they are but it's not the strongest thing they have to offer. We need the farmers, the warriors, the craftspeople; we can't all be priests and poets. We need to be building community, or at least households, to be doing the work of living this life. Because we are <i>not </i>what we study, we can never be ancient Celts, we are what we do. We are how we live. We need to move beyond the beginning stages that CR often seems to still be in and get on with the living of it. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFAbkdmY-nAfvVt-3m5zQ6pqY5XpcPdoad6MnHDEPmtzUflBB-vWlW76QnuaesTBysWXywfdPMpUClngRcS1-p_KlX1KHth4c0cEXyjU_tle1hbRTWPV0QfE-iG_10M1TZlqJfLfmSs3F3/s1600/Img_4057cr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFAbkdmY-nAfvVt-3m5zQ6pqY5XpcPdoad6MnHDEPmtzUflBB-vWlW76QnuaesTBysWXywfdPMpUClngRcS1-p_KlX1KHth4c0cEXyjU_tle1hbRTWPV0QfE-iG_10M1TZlqJfLfmSs3F3/s320/Img_4057cr.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Moos has had enough</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Saighhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08330045789400336110noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-346922984872140451.post-50258293304903681482012-02-25T09:13:00.001-08:002012-02-25T09:27:31.587-08:00In the spring a middle-aged woman's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of ....chickensAnd seeds, of course, but the true obsession is on the chickens.<br /><br />We've had chickens since the spring of 2001, a few months after we moved here. We l<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvV4LCRNJrzpPTmkfyDL7za4wz5o0p3YiyCsMJGqBGmfMAi3Sa9R-DNe5EsoqgWNqjT0BJKTmUxZmS8jKFWLkgT09QZDwupB65kvvVRGX2Ia-AojJg8cFOT-D8iwdoS9970YtOGp63wyHR/s1600/clchk1.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 159px; height: 151px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvV4LCRNJrzpPTmkfyDL7za4wz5o0p3YiyCsMJGqBGmfMAi3Sa9R-DNe5EsoqgWNqjT0BJKTmUxZmS8jKFWLkgT09QZDwupB65kvvVRGX2Ia-AojJg8cFOT-D8iwdoS9970YtOGp63wyHR/s200/clchk1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5712382985518261074" border="0" /></a>earned our lesson about going through the local feed stores, having ordered a specific breed and arriving to find out all they had were Black Sex-links (Black Stars). We took them, even though we intended to get something we'd want to keep breeding and would have broody hens, which <span style="font-weight: bold;">never</span> happens with Black Stars. What we ended up with was a couple of very nasty tempered roosters, we ate the others, and some good laying hens. One of which, went broody.<br /><br />The Old Clucker brooded out a batch of eggs from this first flock, then later we got her<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioUIZPMGpDf-gC761PC-Isd5pHbjVzNBwrESrJHMBohW_ThYwz-jZlWEhVh6b4hyphenhyphenxfPXKXQfA-I66QqP4VR3jkc8RNuHn7356tHFS4VMtJhcQG4yzf6tUGxM2XM5Ei-Mr1pWOXU1EZ_wXQ/s1600/brood03-2.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 114px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioUIZPMGpDf-gC761PC-Isd5pHbjVzNBwrESrJHMBohW_ThYwz-jZlWEhVh6b4hyphenhyphenxfPXKXQfA-I66QqP4VR3jkc8RNuHn7356tHFS4VMtJhcQG4yzf6tUGxM2XM5Ei-Mr1pWOXU1EZ_wXQ/s200/brood03-2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5712383220128713618" border="0" /></a> to brood out some Silver Gray Dorking chicks when we decided we wanted something a bit different, with friendlier roosters and more hens who would brood. However, none of the Dorkings surpassed the Old Clucker as a mommy. She remained our go-to foster-mom through out her life (she died at 9).<br /><br />We have suffered losses, disease, predators (and an improperly latched door). We got another batch of hybrid eggs for the Clucker, from a local...not a specific hybrid but a "I don't know who got with who" hybrid. We now have one hen from that batch. And we then returned to Dorkings two years ago.<br /><br />We now have a few Dorkings, and the little red hen (who is actually big compared to the Dorking hens). We only had one chick make it last year, a male. *sigh* This year we hope to do better, letting hens brood and brood some eggs ourselves. But we were also going to buy another batch.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc6AYkOjuvW5RMoRPwEknBavHgPJUeSkAmKYgv1Dg2Sh9P_azfAMvCjdWG3ieZcdArwJGoDdjVscEHo7JHm5fCAUD7PeGgQ2NQ7D6zU2i19QspZugwohsDontJPMz8me-ucDHwnW0vv6Kd/s1600/Img_3425cr.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 112px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc6AYkOjuvW5RMoRPwEknBavHgPJUeSkAmKYgv1Dg2Sh9P_azfAMvCjdWG3ieZcdArwJGoDdjVscEHo7JHm5fCAUD7PeGgQ2NQ7D6zU2i19QspZugwohsDontJPMz8me-ucDHwnW0vv6Kd/s200/Img_3425cr.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5713114011118193410" border="0" /></a><br />Thing is, it's already late to order Dorkings, because they are broody. Well, ours never seem to be as stubbornly broody as they describe, perhaps to balance out having a broody Black Star? But it seems the hatchery ones are. And I was considering perhaps we should splurge on another Dorking variety, especially as Aaron dislikes the big combs which are more prone to frost-bite (although this year we brought them into the heated shop). <a href="http://www.sandhillpreservation.com/">Sand Hill Preservation Center</a> is far pricier, but is one of the few places that has other Dorking varieties. You need to order the standard 25 to keep them safe and warm on the trip, but you can't get one single variety in that number. Last time I checked I remembered it being about 6 per coloration, but now it's 15 or 10, which means we could get, say 15 black and 10 red rose-comb. The blacks have both rose and single combs. Other colorations are not available in our hoped for time frame, but this would be a good bet for us. But, yeah, pricey. $150 for 25.<br /><br />We're still debating between us if we want to stick to the Dorkings, I wander up the chicken page on SHPC's site. My eye catches "<a href="http://www.scotsdumpyclub.org.uk/">Cuckoo Scots Dumpy.</a>" <a href="http://www.scotsdumpyclub.org.uk/"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 125px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQO_oQYOOAVkKPLqg8aqBDDclwW758n0pEYUvTvvgEuAuXnpkq7c4XoQFqekQ1Iw_ThRSRF1cC4C-_1LUoaiKH4t-wSHOD0p5fDX36lpG5I6mRD9mXZsk3YKgpegsjDH9G_7yDugXkAbPF/s200/scot_dumpy_club.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5713117048206354978" border="0" /></a>They appear to have started selling them just last year.<br /><br />Due to how endangered this breed is, even compared to their other birds, they sell them differently than others. It's $150 for a set of 25 chicks of which at least 15 will be Scots Dumpies, more if they can do it, with the remainder being another breed of their choice. They're sold out until at least June, but on the surface it seems that other than waiting about a month longer than I might want to normally, there is no real difference to us as far as initial cost. Same price for 25 birds.<br /><br />While I love the Dorkings, I admit that Scots Dumpies have fascinated me for years. I figured, however, that it would be impossible. But now that they are, I'm unsure about taking this step.<br /><br />While Dorkings are not common, the Silver Greys that we have are no longer endangered. They are attainable from most hatcheries. Other varieties, which Sand Hill offer, are rarer. In NH there is Yellow House Farm in Barrington raising <a href="http://yellowhousefarmnh.com/content/865">White Dorkings</a>. They also have some great advice on heritage breeds.<br /><br />That advice is truly needed as well. If we were to do this, or get into a rarer variety of Dorkings, we'll need to change our focus greatly. We'd need to get damn serious. Join associations! Sell breeding birds to others to get diversified local lines to later breed keep our flock diverse. We'd have to have space for a lot more breeding birds than we currently have been keeping in order to be a true preservation flock. We'd have to vaccinate as we'd have to take birds to swaps and shows.<br /><br />It also thwarts Aaron's wish to have rose combs. However, despite the need to protect their combs from frostbite, Dumpies, like the Dorkings, are hardy in cold weather. To me that's more important. Of course, right now we have few enough birds that we have them in a small chicken house inside the heated shop, hence no comb freezing. If we end up with 60+ breeders we'll not really be able to fit them all in there. So different housing considerations must be made<br /><br />Between all this, we're talking about a lot more than $150 investment.<br /><br />Still, I am thinking this will be the future of our farm if the Zombie Apocalypse doesn't hit first. We probably won't do it this year, we'll breed the Dorkings we have and possibly get a few of something else, likely through someone local, to keep us in eggs and meat in the meantime. But eventually, yes, a preservation flock of Scots Dumpies...after all, how can I resist a breed reputed to have been "watch dogs" for the Picts against Roman's. (even if that is probably about as likely as woad, but, you know....)<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Scots Dumpy photo totally stolen from the </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.scotsdumpyclub.org.uk/">Scots Dumpy Club</a>Saighhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08330045789400336110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-346922984872140451.post-44419413371397148822011-12-07T16:17:00.000-08:002011-12-07T16:59:18.209-08:00Winter is getting here...mostly....<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEFoIB5ziudCSS8Dw6lJff8U1RqQ9x5QVX_ETKQ3OtBaIohaR5CEf8VNQCvMwFboH-QG8-tEqIk-RhoCNf9ccbL_RrOshSluQq_Gzm0yug1WoYu_nEcdi4zFyjXzkcIwLaVMmfpkosJ7_-/s1600/Img_3959cr.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 233px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEFoIB5ziudCSS8Dw6lJff8U1RqQ9x5QVX_ETKQ3OtBaIohaR5CEf8VNQCvMwFboH-QG8-tEqIk-RhoCNf9ccbL_RrOshSluQq_Gzm0yug1WoYu_nEcdi4zFyjXzkcIwLaVMmfpkosJ7_-/s200/Img_3959cr.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5683548897035129010" border="0" /></a>Yes, Samhuinn was celebrated, just a few days after my last post. In a nice heavy wet snowfall. It made for a wet, cold ritual, but at least that means didn't have to obsess over whether the fire really was out after, there was enough snow to not matter. We came in, put out our ancestor plate and had a nice feast. The hounds didn't attend, just didn't seem like they'd appreciate it, but they were happy to get a bit of shortbread when we came back. The fuzzy dogs joined us, unfazed by the snow, and seem to have assigned themselves particular ritual parts during the Outsiders' offering.....Gleann went out, like always, with me, but Sachairi stayed to guard Aaro<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-yM089GyLaHm41dRpkM0zuxtAi-8S0JZjotk1djXFdMroY4g-jMjXkP2FxSZQGgDs9oVh3JPVm_OFK5rsz91emVP5tVFyESohz7ukpKJPdLGucqHeBHx0LUZL-nakWvmUjm3fzSjBSGzn/s1600/Img_3964cr.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 173px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-yM089GyLaHm41dRpkM0zuxtAi-8S0JZjotk1djXFdMroY4g-jMjXkP2FxSZQGgDs9oVh3JPVm_OFK5rsz91emVP5tVFyESohz7ukpKJPdLGucqHeBHx0LUZL-nakWvmUjm3fzSjBSGzn/s200/Img_3964cr.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5683552546648034658" border="0" /></a>n. This is the first we noticed this, it may be because the hounds weren't there.<br /><br />That snow is now gone again, although at the moment some is trying to come back. We had more warm weather, which has led to continued horse training. In one session Saorsa had her first training in how to carry my enemies' heads. She seemed to be fine about this at first, but then did get a bit upset over the whole thing. Our trainer, btw, thought my interpretation of what this exercise was very odd. In general, this is Saorsa, though, something new doesn't bother her...until she gets bored with it. Keeping this mare occupied is going <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9VH4fomQgmG5ICAFv3JmXHAX-oyTECv1-gTyE5HIG5LUIH1jH73LcEkUssdsYqGgwZeiZyQW_0cawJ-2oULdkN8BFtUmx3FkjIHhelwDpTSnnaYPaIT8QJMe28sroGRTx4X8ufbwf2iiD/s1600/Img_3972cr.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 164px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9VH4fomQgmG5ICAFv3JmXHAX-oyTECv1-gTyE5HIG5LUIH1jH73LcEkUssdsYqGgwZeiZyQW_0cawJ-2oULdkN8BFtUmx3FkjIHhelwDpTSnnaYPaIT8QJMe28sroGRTx4X8ufbwf2iiD/s200/Img_3972cr.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5683552545925343026" border="0" /></a>to always be a challenge.<br /><br />Misty on the other hand is lazy and stubborn. Riding her is rather a chore at this point for me, but that will just take time and doing it more. Aaron' has begun actual riding lessons and as the trainer/instructor is there on the ground to get Misty to move she moves a bit more during their lessons. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizxE9w7jgNPfKt3dB5QXxqXSGmPAehxtEb595y0MM3tg6L88cJkMfmW5vBOfW9fv7xT6MyweFJVVdpXs3pTnfOKaMBwqEpgJQ2yYNbbsULwp-ZzTePF785KVTnRL6bM4yhfC1nanbEblzO/s1600/Img_3985cr.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 120px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizxE9w7jgNPfKt3dB5QXxqXSGmPAehxtEb595y0MM3tg6L88cJkMfmW5vBOfW9fv7xT6MyweFJVVdpXs3pTnfOKaMBwqEpgJQ2yYNbbsULwp-ZzTePF785KVTnRL6bM4yhfC1nanbEblzO/s200/Img_3985cr.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5683553488701910562" border="0" /></a><br /><br />This past weekend, although nice for it, we didn't do training, as we were busy going to pick up a cat from a friend who needed to find him a home. So now we're sort of complete on farm companion animals. So far, Merlin, the cat (the name he came with and will keep as changing anything else is going to be too much for him), is not warming up to us. But we have all winter before we'd want to let him roam outside much anyway. He is proving to be a hunter, however. And he is chicken safe, which is good as he's big enough to be a problem if he wasn't.<br /><br />I have fixed up the website and it is now residing at the new URL <a href="http://www.dunsgathan.net/">http://www.dunsgathan.net/</a> and the old one should now be resolving into the new address. Not all changes are there, I finally decided that I had to get it up or I'd wait forever waiting for "perfection." And now I can't use working on it as an excuse to not get to other writing. Of course, Merlin needs a page. And I have plans for more stuff on the <a href="http://www.dunsgathan.net/tns/">Gaelic Heathen </a>section, but it won't ALL need to be uploaded again.Saighhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08330045789400336110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-346922984872140451.post-11900401357107937342011-11-14T04:33:00.000-08:002011-11-14T05:22:13.766-08:00Still not Samhuinn?We had thought we might celebrate on the full moon. I like doing ritual, especially Samhuinn which we do at night, on the full moon. There's speculation out there that this might have been a traditional time for gathering rituals, giving people time to travel in the increasing moonlight. Yeah, I'm way too lazy for citations here and it was mostly discussion on some list or other. I'm not worried as much on that as I am that it works for us. Usually.<br /><br />But we didn't. It's not just that there are a few things I still don't feel we've gotten ready, but last week the days were in the 60s. We got a couple of cold days, which inspired us to get some of the housework that we wanted to get done done, and yesterday was probably got over 60 again. It doesn't feel like it's time yet, even if it certainly <span style="font-style:italic;">looks</span> it.<br /><br />It also doesn't help that my perception is probably really skewed due to working nights. Now I'm up and out most of the day most days, the days may be shorter but this is the most sunlight I've gotten in five years. It's like I'm catching up on summer, doing summer things I o<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYFOO2Ca-wiVuD1anTKv-nQqR6iqUeRr2JR5pQnB2v75SpGEKdBj10Tdijbmi4I4lEANtbgiG2M0UFpGF7XoNWAbZS9fFsd5YvXi5quQh4kwwdA8i0y2PQFfivMGByG8lJNzbhJ-taCMuG/s1600/Img_3948cr.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 354px; height: 224px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYFOO2Ca-wiVuD1anTKv-nQqR6iqUeRr2JR5pQnB2v75SpGEKdBj10Tdijbmi4I4lEANtbgiG2M0UFpGF7XoNWAbZS9fFsd5YvXi5quQh4kwwdA8i0y2PQFfivMGByG8lJNzbhJ-taCMuG/s200/Img_3948cr.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5674830976048679922" border="0" /></a>ften didn't have enough daylight hours to do. So on the day we would have done ritual, I spent the early part playing with the horses. (Yes, I went to work Misty but Saorsa joined us ont he outside of our very fancy round pen...it was actually pretty damn awesome. The girls are doing absolutely great. Obviously, lazy little Misty has moments of exuberance. ) Yesterday we, and our trainer, took the mares up the road all the way up to our "sheiling" ... what had been our upper pasture when I was young, where our temple is although we didn't go anywhere near that far. Just for a visit, which brought up our hopes that we can afford to get that turned back into pasture (now it's mostly golden rod, dog wood and milkweed) and put the mares up there in the summer. This is a bit ironic as bringing them back would then be part of Samhuinn....but we did, of course, bring them back so....sorta, kinda symbolic?<br /><br />There may be another reason that I've not felt ready. A few days ago I was hit by some thoughts about our rituals and a change that needs made. Really, it should have been done a long time ago, but ..... When we moved here we made some changes related to the move, this should have been one. But changing ritual is a tricky thing. Obviously, I can do it. 20 years ago this Samhuinn (which would have been a couple weeks earlier than this, I stuck more to the calendar then), I did my last Wiccan ritual, in which was focused on leaving Wicca. That was a huge change, it actually took me awhile before I did any formal ritual beyond making simple offerings.<br /><br />Changes that involve no longer inviting and offering to a particular Deity are the most troubling. When we moved here we realized we had to alter Who our Goddess of the Land was. It was troubling, but it felt very important, because I feel the Land Goddess here was calling me back here. We kept offering to the one we offered to in the Seacoast, it was particularly important as this change was upsetting to at least one person in our group at the time. But when the group disbanded and it was just us, we slowly stopped. I later I found more and more evidence that this name, one so very popular in the Pagan Community, was a late invention and is very unlikely to have been a pre-Christian Goddess (mind you some argue none of Them are, as all the literature is Christian). Her creation can be somewhat traced as John Carey noted (“The Name ‘Tuatha Dé Danann’" <i>Éigse,</i> Vol. 18, prt. 2) as well as <a href="http://www.imbas.org/articles/danu_bile.html">Alexei Kondratiev</a>. And, of course, by already honoring, to say the least as She is my patron, An Morrígan, I realized I was not going to be stopping honoring "*Danu." <br /><br />This time it's harder, because the God in question is one where there is some of the best evidence for His existence. And in this case He had been one I felt a connection with, while *Danu as that name and as she's usually worshiped now, I never felt a connection with. Thing is, since moving here, I haven't felt that connection. He's not here. Continuing to offer to Him as we have was sort of a habit, there was no real call by Someone else wanting His "job" and when we were a group it would have been a even bigger problem for the member mentioned above. But he's not been here for a long time, it's really long past due for me to think about this. And how to handle it.<br /><br />Thing is, making this change sort of leaves open reexamining our entire ritual structure. Since I felt nudged to do this a few days ago, I feel really jazzed to see what happens, because I feel it might wake things up for us in a lot of ways. If we had celebrated on the full moon, it would have been the same thing we've been doing. I think this "on hold" feeling was in part to explore and prepare for these changes to come.<br /><br />Still not sure what night we'll do this, we have most things prepared now though so it could be any night now. But it's been a long time since I think I've felt this excited about doing a ceremony. It should be interesting, at least.Saighhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08330045789400336110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-346922984872140451.post-30677106340869766302011-10-31T11:07:00.000-07:002011-10-31T11:07:54.512-07:00Another year gone bySo, it's been just over a year since we started this blog and we're again preparing for winter. We didn't get a real hatch of chicks this year, so there has been no chicken sacrifice. I consider this a huge fail. We've been at this for over a decade, but we keep wavering in how much we bother doing.<br /><br />I have realized that the husband isn't as into this as I had hoped...although he keeps <span style="font-style: italic;">saying</span> he is. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj4Ic10ixfRf1CIItL_BZ2mWrpn-e8A6FWFlZC-3Npy2lHjF38-AlNiv0uzCFKGxpQj4RyIMnlez216Vo5r4Jaepx-I-BEW1tm7B7eKcsMpDcP5HUrufOyg9vTNJ8c-kHxi85PpVP9d4gx/s1600/Img_3930cr.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 255px; height: 183px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj4Ic10ixfRf1CIItL_BZ2mWrpn-e8A6FWFlZC-3Npy2lHjF38-AlNiv0uzCFKGxpQj4RyIMnlez216Vo5r4Jaepx-I-BEW1tm7B7eKcsMpDcP5HUrufOyg9vTNJ8c-kHxi85PpVP9d4gx/s200/Img_3930cr.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5669715698667993474" border="0" /></a>With me working nights and my health getting worse from it, more fell to him and often nothing got done. So I do realize that I'll be taking on most of this as time goes by and that there is a lot of catching up to do.<br /><br />This year I put a lot of focus in the horse life here. Saorsa got far more regular training, and then this fall has been about getting ready to bring home his new horse, Misty. There is still work to be done in the barn, but the girls aren't much interested in the barn anyway. They're still after the grass in the lower pasture. So the first task was getting them integrated with no one getting killed. That went very well, after some trials and tribulations.<br /><br />While there are aspects of having another horse that make for more work (manure <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixLygJMMhRgMHC0Id0qLl61qt_iAvmciCk34IqugYVfFZJ4n6J42Ljtjm8-bo9agd1bNCvjuq-0aLw-qUzmg49zMzAkTHtvHt5UXfov-JlLxO-M4LsNqfqVVF_rVBVDmcXs8AU4tOv0XWs/s1600/Img_3934cr.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 290px; height: 192px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixLygJMMhRgMHC0Id0qLl61qt_iAvmciCk34IqugYVfFZJ4n6J42Ljtjm8-bo9agd1bNCvjuq-0aLw-qUzmg49zMzAkTHtvHt5UXfov-JlLxO-M4LsNqfqVVF_rVBVDmcXs8AU4tOv0XWs/s200/Img_3934cr.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5669716787890142082" border="0" /></a>management, food), they are herd animals and some issues that Saorsa has had already seem to be adjusting a bit with a new herdmate (although herd politics and hormone issues will be an on going balance). Hopefully we'll make even more progress with Saorsa's training from now on (although there will likely be a break in the degree of training over the winter, training is <span style="font-style: italic;">always</span> happening). I am hoping that with another horse for her, I can both have more quality horse time <span style="font-style: italic;">and</span> have more energy for other things around here.<br /><br />We also lost some of our local meat sources, as the economy has been so devastating to the farmers here. So we might have to be a little less local to get sustainably and humanely raised meat for this winter...and I'm freaking a bit that we don't have it yet! There are a couple of options, we might not be buying as large a supply this year. We still have some left. It's not like we're going to starve...well, probably. The whole idea of this is that you just don't know.<br /><br />Another project that still needs doing is to rehouse the chickens for the winter and in a system that will work for the rest of the year. Hopefully we'll get that underway this week and done quickly.<br /><br />So, this is Hallowe'en, but not Samhuinn for us yet. We're looking to the full moon, but we'll see if we're ready then.Saighhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08330045789400336110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-346922984872140451.post-40384971500947252382011-09-18T14:01:00.000-07:002015-03-28T12:18:07.954-07:00"Living in the Past"For the past 20+ years that I've been practicing and writing about Reconstructionist religion, the accusation that we're trying to live in the past or are reenactors who want to take it to far or the like has been thrown, well, almost constantly. In the past decade that we've been actively, instead of dreaming about it, pursuing homesteading the same thing gets thrown at homesteaders. We want to live in the past, or more that we are "playing at living in the past with no concept of how horrible such a life would be." Put the two together and people start claiming we're trying to live on <a href="http://www.butserancientfarm.co.uk/">Buster Ancient Farm</a>.<br />
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First clue, folks, I'm online here. And I intend to stay.<br />
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Of course, there are some Reconstructionists who are reenactors. There are homesteaders who do "go primitive." There may be some Reconstructionist homesteaders who "go primitive." We wouldn't know, they're not online to tell us about it. They're probably not even going to write to <a href="http://www.countrysidemag.com/"><span class="st" style="font-style: italic;">Countryside Magazine & <i>Small Stock Journal</i></span></a>. ~;p<br />
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I have no interest in going back to the Iron Age. As a prepper I believe that we might get thrown back into it to some degree, but part of the preparation is avoiding that often by using technology that most people don't today. We'll be the ones <span style="font-weight: bold;">not</span> living in the Iron Age. Um, provided we can get the resources we need to do a bit more. Also, for us, homesteading is not going back to the past, for many of us it truly is about saving the future. The idea that the way most people live today is not sustainable and that we need to find a better way. We do need to go back to some things, things we left that we shouldn't have (like eating actual food, instead of chemical concoctions, raising animals humanely and sustainably rather than in factory farms). I also believe we need to find ways to bring this all around so that everyone can be part of this, not just those of us who go as far as returning to farming ourselves. And that's happening.<br />
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Likewise, our religion is really not remotely Iron Age, no Reconstructionist can be despite what we might dream and some might claim (although terms like "revivalist" are usually used instead, with claims there is nothing to "reconstruct"). Given the fact that there is no continuation of pre-Christian practices, that we are having to <span style="font-weight: bold;">reconstruct</span> should be obvious. Much of the material we use, the Irish literature, the Norse Eddas, come from Christian sources and we have no reason, at all, to believe that they are any sort of recording of accurate pre-Christian lore. And for some of us we respect the living cultures, which are Christian, and find what we learn from them is valid too. There is much complexity in this.<br />
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I do want to take an aside and note that not all Reconstructionists are homesteaders....obviously vice versa.<br />
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Okay, see, I'm making all these protestations because what I'm about to write is probably going to make it seem far more like all the above is a lie. It's not, but again, things are always complex. Because I think that we really NEED to recreate, or someone needs to recreate, actual living conditions in various ways like <a href="http://www.butserancientfarm.co.uk/">Buster Ancient Farm</a> if we really are going to understand the past enough to learn from it completely. And this video offers some great examples of why, not only this is true, but why we need to learn, especially if we're going to have a future as a species.<br />
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<b>*WARNING: There is a pig slaughter as part of it and that may upset some...EDIT 3/28/15: I came by to read through this and see the video is actually dead...sorry!.*</b></blockquote>
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There are, of course, some things that CRs will find humorous and/or annoying, like "Sam Hain" and a Wicker Man at that season representing the "Dying Sun God." But...while they got things wrong (although it is 1978 and, well, a lot of Pagans at the time did ...yes, some still do...but, anyway) it's interesting the importance they found in the celebration. A break from their daily life, a special time to share special things that they decided to save up rather than eat or drink in small quantities, a marking of passage.<br />
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It's also interesting that several members of this group have continued to meet about the time of the four festivals.<br />
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The key to what I really like out of it is how it seems to have affected them. Several have raised animals, grown food gardens, spend a lot of time outdoors, one is a blacksmith which he had done while doing this show. Oh, and one couple brought home a road kill deer and the woman dressed it out, years later, surprised she to remember she had this skill. Of course, they phrase it that this stayed with them, but it's unclear how much they might have been into such things to begin with, perhaps helping them be selected for the project.<br />
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That many of them also remained friends through the years is also, I think, telling lesson. But it also seems obvious that if you make it through such seclusion together for a year and don't kill each other you probably are going to develop deep connections. I think it's a reminder in our very transient world today of the social creatures we are. And perhaps there is much to consider about why, being that we do not tend to live communally or in the same place through our lives these days, the internet has become so much about social networking. Perhaps we should rethink this idea that social networks are just time-sucks and places to find conflict, but consider what we're really craving from them, especially as many of us living rurally might not have a lot of meat-space community. At the same time, perhaps we should consider how we can avoid getting lost in them to the detriment of face-time (I can think of a number of times when I've visited people and they've spent more time online than talking to me....and a couple cases where I ended up online too....and even talking to them online while in their house!).<br />
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The one guy who apparently didn't take up animal husbandry, gardening or blacksmithing noted we <span style="font-style: italic;">are</span> Iron Age people. We may have evolved our technology, but we've not changed as a species in this amount of time. I think we can't forget that our brains, our souls, still crave things that our society doesn't always provide. Namely, connecting, with each other, with animals and growing things, just connecting. Really, even the food and movement issues are all about connecting, with where our food comes from and with our bodies. With our Gods.<br />
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In this we are not different from what humans have ever been. We're just pushed away from it (and this is not to say we're the first society to do it, just, you know, bigger and with more stuff to create it).<br />
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But, of course, along from this, which might seem obvious, there was an archaeological lesson from this TV show that shows another benefit of doing this. Archaeologist Barry Cunliffe visited the site and noted charcoal leavings in the cook pit that led him to understand such findings in actual digs. This sort of thing is, of course, the whole point behind Buster Ancient Farm, to find and to teach. <a href="http://www.butser.org.uk/iafhist08_hcc.html">Peter Reynolds</a> was undoubtedly the most influential researcher in this form of experimental archaeology.<br />
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There are times I would almost want to spend some time doing something like this. It might have been a more practical option before we got into our own homesteading project, however, so it might not happen. But really, we don't need to spend a year living it totally to get a bit more of a perspective on these things. Or even actually do them ourselves, if we pay attention, look at what people do and ask the right questions.<br />
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Ones that often strike me are assumptions about animal husbandry. A common one is one<a href="http://dunsgathan.blogspot.com/2011/02/pratical-issues-imbolg.html"> I commented on this past Imbolg </a>that because modern farmer's mostly (but not all) manipulate sheep breeding to have lambing in March, that the folk etymology linking lambing and Imbolg is somehow has nothing to do with the observation of, you know, the folk. The right question wasn't when do farmer's today have lambing, but when do most ewes go into a natural heat, which would put lambing starting in mid-January. I didn't get to experience the whole sheep cycles, but I did ask the right questions as I was researching both for theoretical and, possible, homesteading reasons (we're probably not going to be raising sheep, but you never know).<br />
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After I started considering this topic I found another example of living and considering things in context came up. That hurley was a warrior sport, used for conditioning and training is commonly noted in various sources; mentions of it are found in the boyhood tales of both Cú Chulainn and Finn Mac Cumhail so the connection with warriors in training is rather obvious. As is the mock battle aspect of all such games, probably one of which is familiar in having played or watched by most academics. In the article <b style="font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/npr/140542465/a-celtic-cure-soldiers-use-hurling-to-heal-after-war" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">A Celtic Cure: Soldiers Use Hurling To Heal After War - NCPR News from NPR</a> (yes, there are some glaring mistakes in the article) the sport of hurling by veteran soldiers brings up another point not mentioned. That it can be healing to those who have experienced the trauma of battle. Was this part of the more ancient use of the game? Maybe, maybe not. But that it might be is something that was learned when the game was played those who have lived battle as well. Again, we may not all live this, but we can learn from it.<br /><br />So, this has been a rambling bit that has gone in several directions. But it all comes around to the same things for me. That we aren't seeking to live in the past, but we if we are to truly learn from it we need to find ways to put it in context, either by asking the right questions to those who are living what we're seeking or by living it ourselves even for a short time or even in small ways. We are the same people, our experiences, or those of others today, can teach us. We are primitive people, we've not changed. Yet we're obviously bringing what we do into the future, hopefully one more sustainable. That's what we're trying to do here, with both our spirituality and our lifestyle.</b>Saighhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08330045789400336110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-346922984872140451.post-33158301835303614992011-09-06T01:36:00.000-07:002011-10-31T06:34:15.178-07:00As summer leaves changes come<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg52pjA-ruUUjrJvVc4vfaVOtcVB-TaY7fSU1a7lcIgkaRxkLaW4c8TmOy8a_2smFhBKIVAcUpDacj92kPWKD65s9bcrF_wnpYdcwqrr-Wzh9X6jSXcoa9qU8J5WZKucfUIDh9H7UyTPvMG/s1600/Img_3636r.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg52pjA-ruUUjrJvVc4vfaVOtcVB-TaY7fSU1a7lcIgkaRxkLaW4c8TmOy8a_2smFhBKIVAcUpDacj92kPWKD65s9bcrF_wnpYdcwqrr-Wzh9X6jSXcoa9qU8J5WZKucfUIDh9H7UyTPvMG/s320/Img_3636r.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5649164290818664530" border="0" /></a>We moved here to have horses and to homestead. It'll be 11 years this year and we're not where we might have hoped. We've have and have had horses, <a href="http://shewhofreeshorses.blogspot.com/2011/04/10-years-ago.html">10 years ago I had rescued an elderly gelding I named Saoradh</a>. I was lucky at that time as I wasn't working, Aaron was, so I was able to spend much time with him, both of us healing. Then I got a part time job before getting a full-time night watch job. At the time I got that job, he was settled, we got into a nice routine his last few months, as he was slowing down. I'd come home, we'd ride then later play with ground work.<br /><br />When I lost him, I got the clear message to adopt a PMU foal. This job became a bigger issue then, for a young foal required much more energy and work. Daytime energy and work. Most of homesteading does, really, and my body knew this. When we moved here I went from being nocturnal most of my life to almost immediately diurnal...a morning person even! While the nightwatch job had it's perks as far as warrior path stuff went, especially Outlaw Warrior/Fenian workings, which I'll talk about soon in <a href="http://caithream.blogspot.com/">Championing Ourselves</a>, it clearly had it's disadvantages in our over all life.<br /><br />For five years I was on this schedule. Due to this, this filly Saorsa, now 4, is probably a bit wilder than I'd like, especially as she's a left brain mare who does not appreciate having to do anything that is not her own idea. She's extremely brave, never spooky, but instead is headstrong and stubborn. If I spent more time with her, perhaps she'd be a bit more cooperative. She's doing well in her training and I had no intention of backing her prior to next year, but I'm not thrilled by the lack of time I've spent.<br /><br />But this all is changing now. I am leaving the night watch job, something, I'll be able to spend this fall working with her more, as well as with the new, older mare, Misty, we're adopting from Saorsa's trainer. Between more attention and a new pasturemate, hopefully Saorsa's attitude will improve a bit. Oh, I don't want docile and timid, but just a bit more acceptance of negotiation would be nice. And given this attitude, more time working things out will be a good thing.<br /><br />This is a scary time, this will mean neither of us will be working full-time at the moment. Aaron is looking, but there is little out there. He'll sign up for more time with the ambulance, of course, and given the car issue (we have only one) this will give him a great chance for more experience. I will try to take some clients as a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/KLnurturingstrength">personal trainer</a> but given the economy and the location, I'm not expecting a living out of that. I know we can do this, but not having that all important full-time job, especially as home-owners, is, yeah, a bit nerve-wracking.<br /><br />As Aaron is likely to take as many shifts as he can and try to get at least part-time work, I'll be taking over as the primary "farmer" here. Aaron began taking over that role more and more as I burned out more and more from working nights, especially after he lost his job. I tried to spend my few daylight time with Saorsa or the Minis as much as possible.<br /><br />But of course, we've got a nice list of things that really will take both of us to do, especially as winter is coming soon. We need to add a "stall" to the run-in barn so there is more room for the girls to hang out, as well as a space to separate them when we want to work with one. I'd love to tear down the whole structure, which was not designed to house horses, and start all over, but there is that little Catch-22 that it's impossible to afford to do it now that we have the time to do it (and there was never enough coming in for us to hire someone else to do it).<br /><br />We also need better winter quarters for the chickens as well. There is some work on the house that should get done to make things better for this winter. And a shooting range to build but that might not happen until next spring (and will be further discussed in <a href="http://caithream.blogspot.com/">Championing Ourselves</a> most likely). And there is a lot we could do, also best done together, to better prepare things for next year's planting.<br /><br />One more week and I'm home.<br /><br />I also look forward to spending more time with our land here. I spent my nights in the woods, but they were other woods, not the ones that own me. Now I barely do that, locked into one campsite. I get out here sometimes on my nights off, but far less during the day. It seems that the turning of the seasons here is largely missed by me. By chance I got to see the geese giving flying lessons to their growing goslings this year, but some years I've missed that all together. I feel out of touch with this land, with it's Spirits.<br /><br />And so, we'll see what this part of the journey has for us, this land and the animals, domestic and wild, we share it with in this new stage.Saighhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08330045789400336110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-346922984872140451.post-10802102950733356182011-08-20T00:36:00.000-07:002019-12-07T12:41:14.593-08:00Lùnasdal/Là Fhéill Macha<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJrldLL_dXYtjz14qF6nwvyadwSvhKjJeLuz5bDeDekLWq_j6O3-4gClvEjBl4gv_ah0gSV_0tbMYcxFhPfvShw6lqr-dUekPwKAoTo_TntqvECEJvGZ3XtLpYeJ7l5smJThyphenhyphensKOTzwW3B/s1600/Img_3736r.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5642840229968046786" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJrldLL_dXYtjz14qF6nwvyadwSvhKjJeLuz5bDeDekLWq_j6O3-4gClvEjBl4gv_ah0gSV_0tbMYcxFhPfvShw6lqr-dUekPwKAoTo_TntqvECEJvGZ3XtLpYeJ7l5smJThyphenhyphensKOTzwW3B/s320/Img_3736r.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 215px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 320px;" /></a>On Thursday we celebrated our Là Fhéill Macha, which I noted is our own name for the holiday due to our own affiliations. As I said <a href="http://dunsgathan.blogspot.com/2011/08/lunasdal-is-about-horses.html">Lùnasdal is about horses</a> and in keeping with this I started my day by cleaning all three of our resident horses, nice and shiny and properly pampered. Then Aaron and I both took the Minis for our "unrace" which was a nice walk along the road. We need to do this more often, they seemed to enjoy it. So did our goat Elína who followed right along, then ran ahead on the way back...I guess she won? I then put their new masks on them. Before I got out with a camera, of course, they got themselves and their masks coated with the first layer of dirt for the day.
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Then I moved on to brush the dogs, while Aaron made shortbread and prepared the roast, because they join us in ritual and had to look good too. Then the two of us, sans dogs (because the Greyhounds would find it too prickly and the farm dogs would find the pricklies fun to gather in their newly clean fur), headed up to pick blackberries, along with a few blue berries in my favorite patch right near our ritual site. There is a huge abundance of berries there, we'll probably go back as most weren't ripe (yet we got a lot) and there are enough I don't think we have to feel we'll totally deprive the bear.
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This all meant we needed to clean ourselves up a bit and then load up for the ritual. Our ritual site is between 1/8 and 1/4 mile up the road, where we thought at one time we might build just below it, in what was a field and is becoming rather overgrown, and has an ancient (well, for the US, apple orchard). We may turn part of that old field back into pasture for the horses when we can afford the labor, but the hill the ritual site is on, will just be kept trimmed up in the actual ritual site. It's nearly the highest point, the highest point being absolutely too close to neighbors (this is a bit too).
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-9cS8laFq5hfcXGj9FMDRakL2sBJ2MqqcKkjZ8EIE2FkKf98huKXYYyC2Z1YNLWMbo_tELkBFhSXsZOXJIhJy8ciMXk5Ttdls3iHRHkagOoKrgr65h_Qttr3cMu5lG2-_k-Wr-G8rn3cz/s1600/Img_3735cr.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5642842154319501826" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-9cS8laFq5hfcXGj9FMDRakL2sBJ2MqqcKkjZ8EIE2FkKf98huKXYYyC2Z1YNLWMbo_tELkBFhSXsZOXJIhJy8ciMXk5Ttdls3iHRHkagOoKrgr65h_Qttr3cMu5lG2-_k-Wr-G8rn3cz/s320/Img_3735cr.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 211px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 300px;" /></a>
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As we were packing, we saw this grounded baby Robin sitting next to a rock we were going to add to the fire pit. We left baby bird and rock alone. I think this is the same one I saw a few days before, so s/he's doing well avoiding our dogs. I hope it continues until flying is possible.
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The fire went well, which I take as a good ritual sign. We made our offerings. I took some extra time to talk with an old acquaintance who I recently learned has passed; which despite our short association and that the relationship never went where I, and I think at one point he, had once hoped, has overwhelmed me with grief. I think there will be more doing that from now through Samhuinn, but I am doing slightly better right now. Or the business of the the ritual and the tiredness of the post-ritual is making me think so.
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I love having the dogs at ritual, and these four are so good. Òrlaith and Cù lied in the shade with Aaron or myself, Gleann and Sachairi roamed the area, staying close. Gleann is an old hand, Sach just goes with the flow...the Greys are, of course, on leash. The all enjoy the "blessing" part when we share a bit of food.
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When we returned to the house we gave the horses, goat and chickens some berries. Oddly, it was the goat who seemed to decline. This is the goat who will likely soon devour all the Belladonna plants (with no ill effects, other than maybe being a bit stoned). I do hope to have the larger horses up in that pasture next year, so they'll be near for the ritual. But we'll see if it's pasture again yet. But maybe by this holiday we can ride them up for a bit of time up there.
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This is a sad time of year, many are noting it. It's been very sad for me this year, as I mentioned, and perhaps also a bit more so as last year was so spectacular and I was able to ride out what is probably the saddest time on our trip to <a href="http://caithream.blogspot.com/2010/10/meeting-idols-and-role-models.html">ComicCon</a>. It's been a hard year in various ways, looking to see what the next season turns.
Saighhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08330045789400336110noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-346922984872140451.post-21777709600170940342011-08-09T02:01:00.000-07:002019-12-07T12:42:43.399-08:00Lùnasdal is about horsesAt least for us it is. Historically it was a time of horse races and Macha, well, one of Them, is associated with the horse races and the holiday and with horses because of this. While somewhere else I might get into footnotes and contemplations about how the various Machas do and do not connect with each other or do or do not connect with horses, well, this blog is more about what we do here. So I'll save that, this is about living it. And I'm tired and that stuff is all on another computer and on a thumbdrive I'm too lazy to go get and what ever. I'm not bothering with the researchy stuff.
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We often refer to this holiday as An Fhéill Macha, the Festival of Macha, which is a totally made up name based on the Là Fhéill Bride for Imbolg. We focus on Macha, as She is a primary Goddess to us as a household, She the Land to us. We moved here to be able to get, to rescue, horses, Macha is who we believe called us to it.
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We have always joked that as we do not have horse races we have the Great Horse Unrace. During the day of our celebration (which is a few days yet here), we make sure to spend some time watching the horses be horses. Saoradh's first Lùnasdal here we took him up to the ritual area where we made a temporary fence and he bolted, some say they saw Someone riding him even, and ran home. That was a bit more race-like than we usually get. In later years, I'd try to get him out for a bit of a ride on that day, not like it was different than others but it was our unrace then. Right now we have the two Minis and Saorsa is yet unbacked so we'll pretty them up and just watch them be horses.
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What we do NOT do, of course, is watch professional horseracing, due to the cruel practices and use of horse slaughter as an "out" for "poorly preforming" horses and, well, we're not fond of people who think this somehow is a thing to do for the holiday. Okay, that's as close to politics as I'll get here. I have been, however, rather horrified by suggestions I've seen, often coming from people who are simply clueless and not actually cruel, to do this.
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Anyway, next year perhaps we'll have a bit of a race, depending on how things go. We may have a new horse coming into our "herd" and Saorsa will hopefully be backed by this time next year (although I'm letting her let us know when the time comes, so we get off to the best start). Meanwhile, I'll leave you with a Saorsa picspam, her first road trip with her trainer.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPlj1336We9LWe01warQynd3DQvjDwZb5qLy0l6kb4pD28gIzknNsC_yLfTWiaI0stB6wTvMtl5E3-Q6GvHzMiTJ8_5dmafwXZ1gKTaVujV6sbDDU2ykt1Vc-PGWw_uhUDTvsv1w6J40wf/s1600/Img_3678cr.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5638784049266057186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPlj1336We9LWe01warQynd3DQvjDwZb5qLy0l6kb4pD28gIzknNsC_yLfTWiaI0stB6wTvMtl5E3-Q6GvHzMiTJ8_5dmafwXZ1gKTaVujV6sbDDU2ykt1Vc-PGWw_uhUDTvsv1w6J40wf/s320/Img_3678cr.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 206px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a>This is boring!
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihopxYZOIyPgCLGPY11Fa07actJJfohOb9v5g7iKj7zy1Wo7kvHoN8qhJ63Spwn3OxLGzoe76ApcGNmPMXF2tkU9STxYkG_SgN_mjwzqbffs5hTbkNUe4MSOqnWux_OfKSJvuWfyfet2EC/s1600/Img_3686r.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5638784053097636722" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihopxYZOIyPgCLGPY11Fa07actJJfohOb9v5g7iKj7zy1Wo7kvHoN8qhJ63Spwn3OxLGzoe76ApcGNmPMXF2tkU9STxYkG_SgN_mjwzqbffs5hTbkNUe4MSOqnWux_OfKSJvuWfyfet2EC/s320/Img_3686r.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 213px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a>No, really, can't we do something else?
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Pa0urlZ3wyHWsgwCS88XQU95Ok314KKZPxD6zl04rpEnmXgXzPSG7t0avtG81mPYMMKPJuz8W8chc-WjQwoBEc0apQoJeoXGL6ThfmFogU7JWco3NNau3g5C5Ncc8xp4acysU0TcVUFi/s1600/Img_3688cr.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5638784055965017090" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Pa0urlZ3wyHWsgwCS88XQU95Ok314KKZPxD6zl04rpEnmXgXzPSG7t0avtG81mPYMMKPJuz8W8chc-WjQwoBEc0apQoJeoXGL6ThfmFogU7JWco3NNau3g5C5Ncc8xp4acysU0TcVUFi/s320/Img_3688cr.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 259px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a>Hey! Where we going?
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF9hfajFkjUHbmygSamk0nBkoGUoVk_fTKszWEf3doftF0dka71MK1nKb4UDQjciGktXXq92Ec1EBDiQ2rq8TDdMga4MeLHR0QrYN5wO1WSPNPKcpLjal0AKDwlJYl42OHYe39XY2OGPrz/s1600/Img_3691cr.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5638784058268923826" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF9hfajFkjUHbmygSamk0nBkoGUoVk_fTKszWEf3doftF0dka71MK1nKb4UDQjciGktXXq92Ec1EBDiQ2rq8TDdMga4MeLHR0QrYN5wO1WSPNPKcpLjal0AKDwlJYl42OHYe39XY2OGPrz/s320/Img_3691cr.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 320px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 272px;" /></a>We're heading down the road!
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKpJRFIUZ-jj72d1woak5xYJDTYavqghWAPFvutbLrc9CVDzRzu044RuWbNo6BkOI2jH0rRhM5STtHILXlxWF3qzwr-Rj4EUJGAByuh4WwoFrPxJiGodBeZKumBpBtKXt4eqqNdsh3usfk/s1600/Img_3692cr.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5638784062560838482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKpJRFIUZ-jj72d1woak5xYJDTYavqghWAPFvutbLrc9CVDzRzu044RuWbNo6BkOI2jH0rRhM5STtHILXlxWF3qzwr-Rj4EUJGAByuh4WwoFrPxJiGodBeZKumBpBtKXt4eqqNdsh3usfk/s320/Img_3692cr.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 320px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 250px;" /></a>Hey! We're being followed!
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL2KjofqReuz_kfQzb0aXKCrdNQbFevpZ9OCuF1CYNXv8mFBPYGm8ayEcmffNEtk0Se8HPn8vDyEfRlm-ZJfzrJjTkFV-QzdiDMeeKfO0oTXV7pGvmjGuT3KQz0GgHbuiBlFj-j3dJ1wcW/s1600/Img_3704cr.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5638784708776910466" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL2KjofqReuz_kfQzb0aXKCrdNQbFevpZ9OCuF1CYNXv8mFBPYGm8ayEcmffNEtk0Se8HPn8vDyEfRlm-ZJfzrJjTkFV-QzdiDMeeKfO0oTXV7pGvmjGuT3KQz0GgHbuiBlFj-j3dJ1wcW/s320/Img_3704cr.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 256px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a>Why do I have to get out of the way, he's the one going to fast! Road hog!
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Pa0urlZ3wyHWsgwCS88XQU95Ok314KKZPxD6zl04rpEnmXgXzPSG7t0avtG81mPYMMKPJuz8W8chc-WjQwoBEc0apQoJeoXGL6ThfmFogU7JWco3NNau3g5C5Ncc8xp4acysU0TcVUFi/s1600/Img_3688cr.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbpK5IHYI04oH3uFfX-HCriJOZUVuyZaUrF8zWr5WeCx9ZDxpgST047WBHhljleK5KGGhbWLNFSXyKzf8rCqA3vVEnamc6P_Ezt_j8_jmW45Nybv3CjnWXXjD9MNeFgXVyEFWqTzCoBFgU/s1600/Img_3710r.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5638784716061090946" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbpK5IHYI04oH3uFfX-HCriJOZUVuyZaUrF8zWr5WeCx9ZDxpgST047WBHhljleK5KGGhbWLNFSXyKzf8rCqA3vVEnamc6P_Ezt_j8_jmW45Nybv3CjnWXXjD9MNeFgXVyEFWqTzCoBFgU/s320/Img_3710r.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 213px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a>You want me to go into the ditch?!
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVPuRZgD4yx4xg7gxg6jxHlXp-QEw4A2MALs9Yrs87T5aSuPEsX6AElQ3rxsisPjl-d0MWJWW5nmtPel18_KaWN7R4ZDaWi4iKXv-0Od8wQy33JTBKOJNOo86XVvXHLvIjkQaXLiA9OEh9/s1600/Img_3711r.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5638784718606369778" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVPuRZgD4yx4xg7gxg6jxHlXp-QEw4A2MALs9Yrs87T5aSuPEsX6AElQ3rxsisPjl-d0MWJWW5nmtPel18_KaWN7R4ZDaWi4iKXv-0Od8wQy33JTBKOJNOo86XVvXHLvIjkQaXLiA9OEh9/s320/Img_3711r.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 213px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a>Oh, wait, there's food down here!
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje7k5NpQPYZfeRlzoIA96gBpTlN_VbpSNFlNyHpCdepycrFkaCn4KyWq86ilnacszOeXHzd411LnftPnIBOW9DwvaGr056pLUCzq2Lza6f29jECqPRsNVRT6g2QLYnbnbjYnzflpmH8zL2/s1600/Img_3713cr.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5638784719193280962" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje7k5NpQPYZfeRlzoIA96gBpTlN_VbpSNFlNyHpCdepycrFkaCn4KyWq86ilnacszOeXHzd411LnftPnIBOW9DwvaGr056pLUCzq2Lza6f29jECqPRsNVRT6g2QLYnbnbjYnzflpmH8zL2/s320/Img_3713cr.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 236px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a>It's better up here though! Hey, a helicopter!
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BTW, that is my trainer's saddle, when I do someday ride her it'll be with a Western style endurance saddle most likely. Eventually bareback. The only problem with the bareback bit is, well, the height issue. All the more reason to get her use to going into ditches.
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<br />Saighhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08330045789400336110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-346922984872140451.post-6543106993793613452011-07-03T23:44:00.000-07:002011-07-04T05:22:51.345-07:00"This Place is Death"We have had yet another loss at Dùn Sgàthan, on June 30 Randvér, our wether goat, bloated. <a href="http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff161/saighallaidh/goats/Img_3389cr.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 311px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 323px" alt="" src="http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff161/saighallaidh/goats/Img_3389cr.jpg" border="0" /></a> We do not know what caused it, although it's apparenlty more common in wether's than in does or bucks, so supposedly it could be anything. Goats are an animal that seem impervious to food issues, but seems when they get them that is it. We tried desperately to save him, but he died in our arms a few hours after we realized that he was sick.<br /><br />It's never easy when a pet dies, that he was so young and that this was so unexpected makes it so much worse. That it comes after so many other deaths just makes it another cut where there is already so many unhealed wounds.<br /><br />The goats, really, came into our lives when we needed new life. That was only a year and a half ago. They brought us much joy. They gave the Mini Horses, Iceman and Cimmeron, much needed fresh companionship after they lost their person and two of their herdmates. They gave Saorsa real companionship as they were spry enough to safely go in and out of her pasture, while we are worried about letting her and the Minis be closed in together (they can see each other, at least most of the year, eventually the snow ends up keeping Saorsa from traveling over there...but it never stopped the goats).<br /><br />Randvér was a proper trickster goat, always pushing for what ever he wanted. Chasing the dogs, chasing the horses, often bullying Elína for food. He'd often glue himself to what ever person was handy, wanting attention. This, of course, was the first and, I'm afraid, ignored for some time, sign that something was wrong. We didn't see much of Randvér that morning, he wasn't being a pest. We should have known. I was busy with my horse trainer and Saorsa, Aaron was busy catching up the bills at the last minute. We just weren't worried.<br /><br />If we'd started treating him earlier would it have saved him? We just will never know. It all was so sudden, it all happened so fast.<br /><a href="http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff161/saighallaidh/goats/Img_3240cr.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 313px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 319px" alt="" src="http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff161/saighallaidh/goats/Img_3240cr.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Over a week before this happened I saw a Turkey Vulture on a utility post; something I've never seen before. I've seen plenty of vultures, but only flying or roosting at a distance and always in numbers, never just one so close just sitting there. It was wonderous and disturbing. It may well have nothing to do with all of this. Or it might. But it keeps coming to mind right now.<br /><br />Randvér was only two, he should have been with us far longer. He is, however, out of pain. Apparently, once this happened, it would always linger, always be likely to happen again. But I still wish he had had the chance to have more time.<br /><br />I try to remember that I am a spiritual person, that I do believe he is in another world, happy and frolicking. That there is probably good food, that over there won't kill him. Maybe he's with the Red Rooster even, who he had seemed to like.<br /><br />I worry about Elína, who no longer has her lifelong companion. They were not siblings, but were born around the same time. There were times it seemed she ignored him, what with him being pesty all the time. She liked to "hide" from him, by standing somewhere behind him while he bleated his little heart out for her. She lied next to him when he got really bad and wouldn't get up anymore. After he died we let her check out his body, so she'd know. She sniffed, walked out of the stall, bleated a couple of times as if to confirm he wasn't going to answer, then asked to go outside. At the time the Minis were asking to come inside, so we let them check out the body. He was their companion too. Gleann and Sachairi also got to sniff the body. Gleann had been distressed and crying during the whole thing, had spent some time with us taking care of Randvér; he worries about his charges. He'll also miss him, as Randy play chased with him more.<br />Elína and the Minis have each other, Elína also has Saorsa. While we buried Randvér, Elína<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8EYtliooOd0oFNujCpCePNllljQ-G0BVhl-SH7EfPRn4aCJtHRIiV8xIn3lMmSfBLA9quL5nT-uLX1mJrrkblnnz3QZldMKT219zVboUdzjwALUdgfKfmrNFvP6kU9axRCV9MGrjNWDoo/s1600/IMG_3458.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8EYtliooOd0oFNujCpCePNllljQ-G0BVhl-SH7EfPRn4aCJtHRIiV8xIn3lMmSfBLA9quL5nT-uLX1mJrrkblnnz3QZldMKT219zVboUdzjwALUdgfKfmrNFvP6kU9axRCV9MGrjNWDoo/s320/IMG_3458.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5625470992757340354" border="0" /></a> and Saorsa ate nearby while Iceman and Cimmeron hovered on the other side of us in their paddock. But she doesn't have anyone to do goat specific stuff with. Like play butt-heads. Or wander where ever. Or hang out and chew cuds while looking totally stoned. Or rubbing against anything that can conveniently be knocked down and trashed together.<br /><br />I really hurt for Elína.<br /><br />We might get another, I don't know. I'm not sure that he can be "replaced" for Elína any more than he can be for us. They were together all their lives, after all. A new goat would just be a new goat, she might not even like him. So I don't know.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLnqdqPHay75tEfMXGw4Lzwlx52Y1cA1eHgNOag6_CoSZLxA0ErkMnP8fNpjX-qV0C6vOiD7PJY17ITA7p86hKd0bBIBCchCPsvCJcyP9r9AlL6QqDULjvA9C0grs3AOOwOrfY4Hned-On/s1600/IMG_3458.JPG"><br /></a>Of course, we've also discussed the fact that we could breed her. Just once. We are not goat farming because they are just too personable, too pet like, for us to raise any for meat. To raise for milk requires, eventually, raising for meat. There are just so many pet homes or petting zoo situations (and the latter are not always good places, anyway) for excess male goats, after all. But once, and we'd keep the kids. Of which there will undoubtedly be two (goat's almost always have twins). But this may be crazy thinking. We have more than a month to talk ourselves out of it.<br /><br />My hope had been that the post I was going to do next was going to be picture spam of my horse having a post-training session bath. I will post that sometime soon. In other, hopeful, news, we do have two hens brooding. We were going to candle the eggs this weekend, but haven't yet. Hopefully that will indicate some life. We need new life here.Saighhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08330045789400336110noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-346922984872140451.post-2849607857910917872011-06-06T05:27:00.000-07:002011-06-06T06:05:30.766-07:00End of an Era at Dùn Sgàthan<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBZmpickNBKH9KaFSlZDk1ULr9hnbogzHv1hYIAzPbk_ct7ciJnz9Ii9Yl35ThMjI4118nsoIdSOUOe8U8d2I48mNEFg_smtoYfJpvqGNd1-6TbmQIMPIBsZmUgARI5beKhWShY45iUzo_/s1600/Img_3099cr.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 304px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBZmpickNBKH9KaFSlZDk1ULr9hnbogzHv1hYIAzPbk_ct7ciJnz9Ii9Yl35ThMjI4118nsoIdSOUOe8U8d2I48mNEFg_smtoYfJpvqGNd1-6TbmQIMPIBsZmUgARI5beKhWShY45iUzo_/s400/Img_3099cr.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5615085585957674306" border="0" /></a>This has been a real bad year for us and chickens. So I never got a "It's Bealtuinn" post up. We lost the pullet, known as Baby Bird at the beginning of May, that was the daughter of the rooster I lamented previously. We don't know what happened, one day fine, the next "we should call the vet" and the next gone. It happens. Always on weekends, of course. But as those following this might know, it was really hard this time as she was the last from that rooster. And the last chick that our Old Clucker had hatched out. They had been together still, so I felt bad for Clucky.<br /><br />And then we lost Clucky too, on May 23. Unlike the loss of BB, which was tragic due to her extreme youth, losing the Clucker was hard in a whole other way. She was waaaay old, as far as we know, for a chicken. No one we know has ever heard of a chicken living 10 years. But Clucky did. She out lived all her hatches except for the one red-brown hen.<br /><br />But her age wasn't the first thing that made the Clucker stand out, the reason she got her name (and she and BB and RR (Road Runner or Red Rooster) are the only chicken's we've named, although my sister named one Foghorn) was the first. She was a Black Sex-link aka Black Star, a production hybrid which never, ever, ever go broody. It wasn't what we intended to get 10 years ago, we wanted something a bit more basic-farm-bird with brooding potential but we got screwed over at the feed store with our order and it was what we got. Vicious males, which attacked us when we gathered eggs and made us not regret eating the ones we did, and females that laid a lot but weren't going to raise any young.<br /><br />Except, this one black hen went broody. We weren't prepared, but got things togeth<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsnkvRkZCWs_moe88qLHrPyi8JEPr8KeiRWNUhl7HJK48Z1lvEO42c4w7n9bqCcbHsltEH4SNGfg51UURU_AdgTl-rYoaHZs9TB92GT7d1oMIaI1SkuXe_H_ZfK-ZBP8J7U6UT1LRt0zZJ/s1600/brood03-1.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 280px; height: 167px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsnkvRkZCWs_moe88qLHrPyi8JEPr8KeiRWNUhl7HJK48Z1lvEO42c4w7n9bqCcbHsltEH4SNGfg51UURU_AdgTl-rYoaHZs9TB92GT7d1oMIaI1SkuXe_H_ZfK-ZBP8J7U6UT1LRt0zZJ/s320/brood03-1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5615087106170185394" border="0" /></a>er so she'd have a good nesting spot and she raised out a hatch. She went broody every year. She became known as the Clucker or Clucky as it's a common term for a broody hen. When we first decided to get dorkings, we got hatching eggs and put them under the already brooding Clucky. She hatched them out fine as you can see here.<br /><br />As she kept outliving flocks, the appellation "Old' got tacked on too. We kept expecting to lose her every year, and every year she'd persevere. Even when a fox got in the chicken house and wiped out almost our entire flock of Dorkings, she survived. Just as she survived illnesses and this past winter's mink attack.<br /><br />But she slowed down, became less sociable with the chickens she had hatched out. Kept to herself. Often not far from them, but not with them. She started showing her age, she even got white feathers although after her last molting she went all black and brown again. We felt she was too old and hadn't shown any interest in brooding last year when we were getting more <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlaQ29s-SqnED5mg-BC2eyBAnuxz5MIT1uT1Z2ZmXOoZO0Yzh1h9sN0eYHcgsVxWhEW-grLGiQP5xtghqrhsl44bjKwfN9piM5vh1SJkE-IC3GYvyK4R5VhvqYSHWuDx8R_ycC_NlOO29H/s1600/Img_3254cr.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 204px; height: 204px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlaQ29s-SqnED5mg-BC2eyBAnuxz5MIT1uT1Z2ZmXOoZO0Yzh1h9sN0eYHcgsVxWhEW-grLGiQP5xtghqrhsl44bjKwfN9piM5vh1SJkE-IC3GYvyK4R5VhvqYSHWuDx8R_ycC_NlOO29H/s320/Img_3254cr.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5615089212716036514" border="0" /></a>Dorkings so we got chicks rather than eggs. But she was very interested in them and shortly afterwards went broody, so we got some eggs from the other hybrids we had (from eggs we bought locally and that Clucky hatched out) and only one hatched, that was Baby Bird. With only one, she was still the dedicated mama she'd always been.<br /><br />And she kept on kicking along. We joked that she was a vampire...even in our sadness over losing Baby Bird, we actually almost felt it might be true! She was 10 after all, who heard of a chicken living that long?<br /><br />After losing BB, she seemed fine. Okay, that sort of led to more of the dark humor musings. The weather was warmer, she wandered around outside, pretty much as she'd been for years. Over looking her domain here...this was her place. And then she took an obvious turn. She wasn't lively and she just died lying in the sun in the yard, which was hers.<br /><br />It really does feel like the end of an era, the end of The Old Clucker's reign. We had only been living here six months when we got the chicks she was one of so it's like she was always here. We knew her, we were used to her...she lived so long it really did feel like she'd always be a part of this place. It feels weird that she's not out there somewhere making sure all is right with our land.Saighhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08330045789400336110noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-346922984872140451.post-75201741385666218182011-04-23T02:44:00.000-07:002011-04-23T03:41:21.489-07:00Wintery picspam, mostly dogs<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYKDpWg877BWH2F_kyZccXY7WKmr5RTscIgy1NOBSYaQTrVizym8E3KJ-HTtzwIwkNvx4CaLpiqzUwpaJZXuB0f2maPCUJiOu7IgA19nWG6tcfq_-Glgw7iWnkRVUCpU4M7tgPg1grZQPp/s1600/Img_3488cr.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYKDpWg877BWH2F_kyZccXY7WKmr5RTscIgy1NOBSYaQTrVizym8E3KJ-HTtzwIwkNvx4CaLpiqzUwpaJZXuB0f2maPCUJiOu7IgA19nWG6tcfq_-Glgw7iWnkRVUCpU4M7tgPg1grZQPp/s320/Img_3488cr.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598713565760236754" border="0" /></a>After my last rather <a href="http://dunsgathan.blogspot.com/2011/04/connections-unwanted.html">dismal post</a> and the fact that I don't have a happy "we have chicks" post to make as we failed to hatch any from our <a href="http://dunsgathan.blogspot.com/2011/03/springtime-circle-of-life-we-hope.html">lost rooster's last hen</a> (but we do have one of his daughters so...) I figured I'd do some picture spamming of pups from this winter. After all, I don't really have any springtime ones to post at the moment.<br /><br />So...there you have two black sheep dogs, Gleann and Sachairi waiting to come in.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhczmbmQy6O6Yk_4xcu54JLaRzDXIBJWW6RCWxHOUivocP4hN0do5aUv7AmapO57Qu9tHW3A2BOVZTAOcRI1UPHO90seoN2guJas5AmEcf7_g7AL_rxc0xTi5B0Rn-DHWf6F4Erg4B9eIdF/s1600/Img_3485r.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhczmbmQy6O6Yk_4xcu54JLaRzDXIBJWW6RCWxHOUivocP4hN0do5aUv7AmapO57Qu9tHW3A2BOVZTAOcRI1UPHO90seoN2guJas5AmEcf7_g7AL_rxc0xTi5B0Rn-DHWf6F4Erg4B9eIdF/s320/Img_3485r.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598715069317558082" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7hxdwpcCUyDQ85W9YEetmj8D299u81LMS5bHENchD62R5-CNuS_SNtncqZxa1sTYJdA5bmfzJVYqD-KS8vscI7Kf22x8A9oSOAu0WBlRlHhchK6pPE9_KJ4m8FihyphenhyphenALkjN5Ggz01JiSzX/s1600/Img_3486r.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7hxdwpcCUyDQ85W9YEetmj8D299u81LMS5bHENchD62R5-CNuS_SNtncqZxa1sTYJdA5bmfzJVYqD-KS8vscI7Kf22x8A9oSOAu0WBlRlHhchK6pPE9_KJ4m8FihyphenhyphenALkjN5Ggz01JiSzX/s320/Img_3486r.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598715076482045602" border="0" /></a>Òrlaith, the golden princess, and Cù Mór tend to not spend so much time outdoors in the winter. Òrlaith's jacket is not for warmth, though, but to help with anxiety, although she's still about to burrow under the cushions here. She's been spending a lot more time out from under the couch cushions lately, so the jacket seems to be helping.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMvhPMA20_q-FpWUnzHQ-Se48kUrAeFgoUO3ZZG37SzNPdF0tWrKf6c5KoFPbRgyZxk7IEwcFo3UWY32CG4a3puTvANmLe1tsvMd6RVK3mf8v_mn01WBwTLrA2Io2wObCfefcHFyLdMoCN/s1600/Img_3517cr.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 204px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMvhPMA20_q-FpWUnzHQ-Se48kUrAeFgoUO3ZZG37SzNPdF0tWrKf6c5KoFPbRgyZxk7IEwcFo3UWY32CG4a3puTvANmLe1tsvMd6RVK3mf8v_mn01WBwTLrA2Io2wObCfefcHFyLdMoCN/s320/Img_3517cr.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598722598660902546" border="0" /></a>Sachairi likes to keep a watch over things.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinuARlMfVZdH_MkJTc5vb1LGXr6A3b0oI0ueotpwiHxl60AvjRtnX3NHR8NlMfh_gYibs0OIHWyLpj5-3hdMjIrn67lNSoF_aqkdYwpyoQZXhbkZgCZFrYUynv_vfaYBzqFBcCNUv4nHUo/s1600/Img_3513cr.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 314px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinuARlMfVZdH_MkJTc5vb1LGXr6A3b0oI0ueotpwiHxl60AvjRtnX3NHR8NlMfh_gYibs0OIHWyLpj5-3hdMjIrn67lNSoF_aqkdYwpyoQZXhbkZgCZFrYUynv_vfaYBzqFBcCNUv4nHUo/s320/Img_3513cr.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598722595767979714" border="0" /></a>Gleann covered in snow.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPIMTRCxgvNtM67YCw_OkY70FfQ4M_5I34L5bDoho48JjcXn8C_qRYh-vz9wwyl_2AXNKyM7FxBZMDBjcM28yzzfPbbFZ7w2AEc6T04L306G7jQwKEqd1-18xLBrpjsdIf6dALOwFR250i/s1600/Img_3519cr.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 192px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPIMTRCxgvNtM67YCw_OkY70FfQ4M_5I34L5bDoho48JjcXn8C_qRYh-vz9wwyl_2AXNKyM7FxBZMDBjcM28yzzfPbbFZ7w2AEc6T04L306G7jQwKEqd1-18xLBrpjsdIf6dALOwFR250i/s320/Img_3519cr.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598722602909595138" border="0" /></a>Sach guarding the boots so no one leaves without him.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjFEeds1JR7p3X1Bu1Devwb_KHuxXw5vDEsq4pdgWtOEIRRYl8q0oHYTI_alpvcT6RCR-DNhwwQ7Ies7wiymZ4VNWiXbUtpIkKBb6i2zssY0QKMBgHgkdvt6UR-mn2AAygWpF_T6SWCoji/s1600/Img_3550cr.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 177px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjFEeds1JR7p3X1Bu1Devwb_KHuxXw5vDEsq4pdgWtOEIRRYl8q0oHYTI_alpvcT6RCR-DNhwwQ7Ies7wiymZ4VNWiXbUtpIkKBb6i2zssY0QKMBgHgkdvt6UR-mn2AAygWpF_T6SWCoji/s320/Img_3550cr.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598722608264490066" border="0" /></a>Sachairi, who only joined the pack last November, has been well accepted by all, even getting an occassional snuggle from Òrlaith.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtPCrMPU5YU5NNGGIXB9oBC_0Sa2ofSbAkvViy7BQBMetmSvcc_Se7ZDPptu6TcE8pYQW3aS__PrYnrHiDOexR8cqi8A0oww1ehfKcnOtIb6rnvhg6mOaXDH9J1e8wdYPp6ZqNW9HQAE7c/s1600/Img_3556cr.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 201px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtPCrMPU5YU5NNGGIXB9oBC_0Sa2ofSbAkvViy7BQBMetmSvcc_Se7ZDPptu6TcE8pYQW3aS__PrYnrHiDOexR8cqi8A0oww1ehfKcnOtIb6rnvhg6mOaXDH9J1e8wdYPp6ZqNW9HQAE7c/s320/Img_3556cr.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598722612157005874" border="0" /></a>But Cù apparently is searching for friends on the web.<br /><br />The dogs aren't the only ones who want in the house, however. It's hard to see, but there are wo Mini horses and two goats in this photo.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjadN3lKU6JhbAdfBvD6DE9cpoM92A5QYMchOI4j5Umxxx2IM4DP9puASoC48Bx5T7WZik88O2UIkGMUarib7Eya7ss13zb6Q1J6TPznCjp2vY_xBy0F_HswhSQFtptoihcMUZbKfeEPM3_/s1600/Img_3516r.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjadN3lKU6JhbAdfBvD6DE9cpoM92A5QYMchOI4j5Umxxx2IM4DP9puASoC48Bx5T7WZik88O2UIkGMUarib7Eya7ss13zb6Q1J6TPznCjp2vY_xBy0F_HswhSQFtptoihcMUZbKfeEPM3_/s400/Img_3516r.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598726178559089074" border="0" /></a><br />Hopefully more springlike content to come!Saighhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08330045789400336110noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-346922984872140451.post-75694356380858224342011-04-09T00:43:00.000-07:002011-04-09T01:39:16.262-07:00Connections unwanted - Hydroelectric hell<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg46BfIPFJ21euPAGhlAWAc_aP-RUlFaIXu8079Wk2oOcuQLY3_C_R6aydimhDayiw9PNyzGum-W6NCpZGWXg3VInddeOB9Uy5Y1_WjKcdUPdeEgX5qmfyIGDcI-LKrd1Uy6KvUg0NrflUE/s1600/heron2.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 122px; height: 128px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg46BfIPFJ21euPAGhlAWAc_aP-RUlFaIXu8079Wk2oOcuQLY3_C_R6aydimhDayiw9PNyzGum-W6NCpZGWXg3VInddeOB9Uy5Y1_WjKcdUPdeEgX5qmfyIGDcI-LKrd1Uy6KvUg0NrflUE/s400/heron2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5593497471793235010" border="0" /></a>One of the reasons I love this land, aside from I grew up here, is that if I can't live in Scotland, the land that holds my spirit in so many ways, at least I live somewhere that bears similarities. Oh, we're further south, yet colder in winter, but the rolling, rocky hills are so much the same. As both NH and Scotland have had various cycles of pastures and woodland, sometimes the similarities are hidden, but since returning from my trip to Scotland there are just places that remind me of that land. Perhaps I should note that it "feels" similar, although not exactly the same, on a very spiritual level for me.<br /><br />There is now a similarity happening that I wish was not on either side of The Pond.<br /><br />Last fall word came that HydroQuebec and Public Service of New Hampshire are planning to put high voltage direct powerlines through our area, actually a matter of yards from my home, as The Northern Pass. This will take power from the HydroQuebec dams, which have already devastated the environment and <a href="http://www.culturalsurvival.org/publications/cultural-survival-quarterly/canada/hydro-quebec-and-native-people">Native cultures</a> and continue to be a <a href="http://www.montrealgazette.com/entertainment/movie-guide/Hydro+power+dirty+side/4585899/story.html">growing threat</a>, to energy users far to our south. They make a promise of jobs to our economically challenged area, while trying to hide the fact that all of those jobs would be temporary and most, if not all, will be held by people outside our area. Meanwhile, the health of the land and all living here will be <a href="http://www.powerlinefacts.com/EMF.htm">severely impacted</a>, and our economy will be further destroyed by the loss of our one surviving industry which is outdoor tourism. Do they really think we believe people will want to camp, hike, x-country ski, hunt or even snowmobile (this last is not my favorite of these things, but I have to admit it helps us survive up here) under those things?<br /><br />I have a friend who lived under such lines, with horses, dogs and other animals. During their time there, they and all their animals became ill. The horses and dogs lost weight, were sickly, some were near failure. Shortly after moving, health returned to all...although what lasting effects there might be are unknown.<br /><br />I live here. I consider this land sacred. I cannot leave and even if I could now I can't afford to...do I even need to mention that our real estate market has tanked since this? Who would move here with this looming?<br /><br />The people are speaking out! I'd appreciate those not living here to do the same and check out <a href="http://www.livefreeorfry.org/">Live Free or Fry!</a> and, if you FaceBook,<a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Stop-The-Northern-Pass-No-High-Tension-Power-Lines-in-Coos-County/161856213834437?sk=info"> join us there</a>. Sign petitions, write officials.<br /><br />Personally, I want to see HydroQuebec totally stopped, all future construction and have them forced to do what can be done to try to heal the damage. This isn't just "not in my back yard" I don't want this at all.<br /><br />This is NOT "renewable" energy. And there IS renewable energy options. As long as we continue to over use and to blind ourselves to the devastation the greedy power companies cause, people, animals and land will continue to be destroyed.<br /><br />And so...a fellow Gaelic Polytheist blogger, Seren, last month reported that there is now<a href="http://tairis-cr.blogspot.com/2011/03/tigh-na-caillich-glen-lyon-under-threat.html"> a proposed hydro scheme being planned in Glen Lyon</a>, in Perthshire, Scotland. Not only are people's live and the <a href="http://www.snh.gov.uk/protecting-scotlands-nature/protected-areas/national-designations/nsa/policy/">delicate environment</a> being jeopardized there as well, but a cherished shrine Tigh na Cailliche. A custom of unknown beginning, of caring for these stones, the Cailleach, her husband and daughter, carefully removing them from their house at Beltuinne and returning them at Samhuinn. Doing this assures the Cailleach's blessing. It is thought to be the oldest uninterrupted Pagan ritual possibly not only in the British Isles but in Europe. And, so, those concerned with this heritage are rightly concerned with what impact this hydro plan might have. The <a href="http://www.glenlyon.org/hydrothreat.php">GlenLyon History Society discusses it on this page and gives an email address if you wish to speak out</a>. A <a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_206004842743177">Facebook Group</a> has been created as well.<br /><br />So, like many times, I feel a kinship from my land to Scotland. But it's not one I want for either of us. Or anyone else.Saighhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08330045789400336110noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-346922984872140451.post-33036655053797439562011-03-14T05:00:00.000-07:002011-03-31T01:15:58.054-07:00Springtime circle of life, we hope<a href="http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff161/saighallaidh/chickens/Img_3243cr.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; WIDTH: 344px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 275px" alt="" src="http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff161/saighallaidh/chickens/Img_3243cr.jpg" border="0" /></a> The handsome rooster and the black hen in this photo are no longer with us. One of the brown hens actually left us a couple of months ago, having died of illness, but RR (Road Runner or Red Rooster) and the black hen were killed just a few days ago by a mink. While we have made peace with the tiny ermine shown previously, the mink were kept away primarily by the ease of finding other tasty critters. When there is any opening in the pond at all, they are there eating crayfish. They've not bothered to venture nearer. This past week, however, following the only really significant snowfall we've had (it snows steadily, but no big dumps this year until now), apparently access to crayfish or other food became scarce. S/he invaded the shop where these three, RR and one brown and one black hen, along with the Old Clucker and Baby Bird (who were loose in the shop, not with these three) lived. S/he killed the black hen, and mortally wounded RR. From what Aaron saw, RR probably attacked the mink, not the other way around, after s/he attacked and killed the poor hen. Sachairi went after the mink, got a bite on the nose but it seemed to have escaped (I heard this at the side of the house, then heard it after their tussle). We brought RR and the three hens into the house, keeping them in dog crates. We tried to keep hope for RR. But the next night he died. I feel I should have put him out of his misery sooner, but we were so hopeful. I suppose if I had killed him I'd then have wondered if he might have made it if I let him try. There are times you know, but there are times you don't. I try not to get too attached to the chickens. We don't name most of them and mostly the names they get are sort of default. Lots of "brownies" and "blackies." Most of the males are called "supper." Some are special, though, but even their names are descriptive. Clucky got "named" because she's broody and she's lived so long, broody chickens are called "cluckers" or "cluckies." Baby Bird got named because she's going to be Clucky's last to raise, and she's a big baby. Actually, she's pretty small, but she's still a baby, remaining with Clucky. When we breed her to the Dorking rooster this year, she'll not stay with the flock but return to Clucky for as long as Clucky lives. Clucky's ten this year....so it may not be for long. RR got named because when young he was plain and brown and looked a lot like a roadrunner. He also ran a lot as we had another, bigger rooster at the time. He then grew into Red Rooster. He was gorgeous and personable, a well mannered rooster who treated his flock well. And gave his life trying to defend it. He's Baby Bird's daddy, which hen was her egg mommy we don't know, but the Clucker is her hatch mommy....but due to various circumstances, we never got any other chicks out of the flock. I had hoped to this year, both with this last two hens and some of the Dorking hens. I really liked this rooster, it breaks my heart. I have his genes in Baby Bird, but ..... I realized that the remaining brown hen was with him until the mink attack. I checked and a hen can remain fertile for about 10 days after being breed. I'm hoping. She's older now, not laying every day and she skipped the first couple after the trauma. In fact, we're surprised she started laying so soon again, but she has. We got an incubator. We're hoping. True, due to her age and the fact we don't know when the last time they might have mated was, this may not work out. Due to our inexperience incubating, it may not work out. But we're going to try. Just in case. Because, like making the choice not to kill him, to not do so will be to constantly wonder if it might have worked if we tried. Life and death are a constant part of this path. Sometimes you get to choose when those things happen, but not always. Not often. And so we hope. We hope that following this unplanned death we shall have planned life. But hope is all we have.Saighhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08330045789400336110noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-346922984872140451.post-52448166950518140062011-02-02T01:17:00.000-08:002011-02-02T06:37:00.650-08:00The Pratical Issues - Imbolg<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEpfVZVCSpTloyylQ0ParBPYHeghvXHhVO-vA8cNX-p4zh5Flpyju19ruhkFHYcHAXP2Gady9OpNJw59Y7TbmHLvnFTHe_ejyROcv27xpE9X-AMmMvVL5M5TW1o8K8S2j1XU3xp87inRhu/s1600/Img_3506cr.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEpfVZVCSpTloyylQ0ParBPYHeghvXHhVO-vA8cNX-p4zh5Flpyju19ruhkFHYcHAXP2Gady9OpNJw59Y7TbmHLvnFTHe_ejyROcv27xpE9X-AMmMvVL5M5TW1o8K8S2j1XU3xp87inRhu/s320/Img_3506cr.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5569100911993916258" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The goats helping with the wood pile, this is early before we got real snow</span><br /></div><div><br /><br />While much of what gets discussed in the Pagan communities about the holidays are debates on ritual design, what day to celebrate, what the holiday means on some cosmic level, I've long been big on the idea that these were truly practical celebrations for our ancestors. They were neither about one day, although the celebration might be important, nor did the average person debate much about exactly what it meant to the Gods beyond "I hope what we do will let them help us through the season." Therefore, I doubt things changed a great deal very quickly from pre-Christian to Christian times. No matter your beliefs, the seasons happen, they must be dealt with.</div><br /><div>We don't seem to have a whole lot of information on Imbolg, this is a common lament. It's probably because it was much more a local, household based celebration with no great gatherings as there seems to have been for Bealtuinne, Lùnasdal and Samhuinn, so customs may have varied. The few things that most agree on aside from practices honoring Brighid, of course, is that the stores were counted, things were washed and your equipment for your spring jobs examined, cleaned and repaired if needed. These were undoubtedly practical necessities, meaning life or death even, for our ancestors, but for many today it's merely a theoretical acknowledgment. </div><br /><div>For us, however, as well as other Gaelic Polytheistic preppers and homesteaders, these things actually begin to take on a new light. Because while right now if we run out of something we can, indeed, run to the store to supplement our supplies, but, well, even if we can now and even if we always can in our lifetimes, the plan is that we should have to. And so, we open our cupboards. </div><br /><div>No matter what stage one is at in this sort of project, this is a good season to take stock and consider how well our efforts are doing. We knew we'd not be totally prepared with vegetation this year, and that's held true. On the other hand, we're looking at a lot of meat. We are doing well there, having bought twice as much pig as last year because Aaron was convinced we might not get half a cow again (the previous year we had a deal but it fell through when they never sold the other half and decided to not kill the cow). But we got half a cow. And some lamb, which, btw, part of will be our feast. We certainly hope to have more chickens next year, the live ones are doing well although one keeps doing poorly and then perking up so we're watching her.</div><br /><div>After having held back on this work a bit for a few years and sort of starting over, I think we're doing well with what we expected to be doing at this time. But there is much work to get to where we need to be for next year. </div><br /><div> </div>And this is the time of year for that too. We consider our seed catalogs, we consider, perhaps with even more concern now that we have those goats, fencing supply catalogs. We're discussing greenhouses. We're discussing negotiating where this goes in light of where the animals go. We are in the process of cleaning out another part of the house we've not been using in part to reclaim the kitchen there as a better option for canning and such activities than our tiny one in the part we live in as well, because sometimes you need to start to prepare a season or so ahead.<br /><div> </div><br /><div>This is what Imbolg means for us. Yes, there will be a celebration, at some point when we actually see some signs of spring. There will be a Brighid's cross, She'll be welcomed in and put to bed and we'll feast. </div><br /><div>And there will be lamb, as we have no mutton. There is much debate among modern Polytheists and scholars about whether or not sheep lambed at this time and if they folk etymology truly did refer to "ewe's milk" (the actual etymology apparently refers to "washing" ...from conversations with Alexei Kondtratiev and others in the IMBAS mailing list several years ago). However, again looking at it from a homesteading perspective, if sheep are not manipulated to breed late, they do normally start lambing in January, so I think that despite those who claim that all lambs are born in March (many, but not all are now, but it takes work to do that), there is a connection. </div><br /><div> </div>I also believe that mutton would be a fresh meat, which seems to confuse some who are not homesteaders and feel no one would kill any of their livestock at this time. However, whether the ewes are lambing now or soon, you'd know which ones are not and likely have an idea of which would should and is not....and she's probably going to go. It's also simplistic to think that all livestock was culled in the fall, although much might be...it would likely depend on the fodder you might have, as well. If I weren't so damn tied up with work and all right now I would probably look up sources on this, but....<br /><br /><div>Eventually, perhaps we'll actually be going by the lambing of our sheep, if we decide to venture that route. Until then, we wait for some sign. This might take awhile. </div>Saighhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08330045789400336110noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-346922984872140451.post-35056168227388111902010-12-16T23:13:00.001-08:002012-11-21T12:02:50.434-08:00Living with the Nature Spirits<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9Ao3PepUSWr3b70Ab7IqJk1grBrNmFFjRnIhzd42gSDZmh3rgqWkiS7vDIbuX1XiGNxCx7NONpJF16i6RKbQo8X3fF8k9N8qUj7OPgbeuDX3wWwGS7SfbX429KjlNTDM-TDYBo7WKbWKJ/s1600/Img_3481cr.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551546321359795058" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9Ao3PepUSWr3b70Ab7IqJk1grBrNmFFjRnIhzd42gSDZmh3rgqWkiS7vDIbuX1XiGNxCx7NONpJF16i6RKbQo8X3fF8k9N8qUj7OPgbeuDX3wWwGS7SfbX429KjlNTDM-TDYBo7WKbWKJ/s320/Img_3481cr.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 279px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 320px;" /></a>This one is known as the Chthulu Spawn. S/he eats the mice which we also live with, which would otherwise be overrunning the house. Mice which will not, simply <i>not</i> go near a trap, live or kill. But CS gets them.<br />
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Yes, it might be a bit disconcerting to have a wild animal living inside the house, but then again the mice are wild animals too. And cause a lot more issue with contaminating our living space. This critter, a Short-tailed or Least Weasel, aka a Stoat, currently in Ermine guise, stays in the walls or under the sink where s/he can pose for the camera. Also s/he or another is busy catching mice outside, as well. So far *knockwood* they've left the chickens alone and as long as they do they are welcome here. We have an agreement. And there are plenty of mice, which are more of a size for the taking. To get a chicken the weasel must get it while it sleeps, the hope that the others do not wake and stomp her/him to death while s/he eats what s/he can.<br />
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And they can kill chickens. In fact, I remember being told as a child by some of the "old timers" that weasels were "vampires" for they only drained the blood of chickens, didn't eat the flesh. Um, you know, even as a kid I realized that something this size wasn't going to be able to cart off a chicken 20 times bigger than it was. The best one can do is drag it a ways from the others, in hopes the others don't wake up and stomp her/him to death, eat what s/he can and then hope to come back for more. But, alas, the farmer has removed the "vampirized" chicken and a new one must be killed.<br />
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But mice are easier, they can carry off mice. And the mice are plentiful. So are voles, chipmunks and squirrels.<br />
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Should Chthulu Spawn dare enter the actual house, however, there are dogs. Four of them now, btw, as we've adopted another Border Collie/Aussie mix, named Sachairi, to help Gleann out and to balance things out with our Greyhounds, Òrlaith and Cù Mór. All three would be lethal to the little spawn of the netherworld.<br />
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However, they do not concern themselves with mice or voles, except for Sachairi, who only seems interested in them when they are outside minding their own business. And he prefers watching the squirrels. Outside, minding their own business. The Chthulu Spawn takes care of them in the walls where they cause trouble for us.<br />
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All in all, we are cozied down for the winter. New wood furnace, everyone winterized more or less (the goats did take out part of a plastic window, however, you know, where in the goat pic spam post you see Elína standing in it in warmer times. They apparently are displeased with having their favorite entrance/exit taken from them, although we've had some nights where they should be appreciating it. And we have plenty of meat in our freezer, with some smoked good still to come.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD7QZogUKAQEFKWb00pjo5WokV8QJ47KhAcFTIKeRckBAXh_QtzOB5R0DGT_ugkb74TMXWQsME4KjPERVxayw5qLpVeriBU8VpFg__oRZbHVE9uH56Gm-bvrH1yy0xi2gKVMOP7f3pxrME/s1600/Img_3484c.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551550987879534578" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD7QZogUKAQEFKWb00pjo5WokV8QJ47KhAcFTIKeRckBAXh_QtzOB5R0DGT_ugkb74TMXWQsME4KjPERVxayw5qLpVeriBU8VpFg__oRZbHVE9uH56Gm-bvrH1yy0xi2gKVMOP7f3pxrME/s320/Img_3484c.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 302px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a>Saighhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08330045789400336110noreply@blogger.com2