Month: December 2013

Happy New Year!

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family photo 2013

For me, 2013 has felt like herding Curtis children and working with Brent on tasty beef and fixing the fencing and tidying the farm and meeting new nice people and enjoying life all at the same time. Meanwhile, the house disrepects us and stays a mess. It’ll be clean someday. Imaculate! And we’ll need to start some new projects that off mess.

I found a moment today and thought I’d take a family photo. I loved the one we took a few years back.

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… or a few years back back
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Yeah, I suppose I could have dolled them up a bit.  But no, I show it as it is.

family photo 2013

Today:

Otto spent his day moving his new herd of cows ( more on that later ) as well as helping Brent move the herd.

Minty ran around in her best winter summer dress and flip-flops.

Lucy worked with the new fluff ball.

Zelie did her own Hello Kitty make-up this time.  She’s fond of black.

Tosca was convinced to sit for a photo.

Fluff ball is still curious about what he signed up for.

This is how they rolled today.

As we ride out the rest of these glorious moments of 2013, the bubbles are chilling and the duck confit and foie gras are warming.  I’m very excited about 2014.  We have some wonderful new friends who love to help out.  We have new ideas and routine to support our farm.  We want to make it pertier.  We hope to feed more people.  We have a load of lovely beef getting ready.  They look great.

Last year I made the New Year’s Resolution to improve my French.  Total flop.  This year, I’m going to try again. I also will try to take advantage of Minty’s photo-bombing skills.

K. nuff said. It’s time to get that fatty liver on. I hope you have a great New Year. Make it great. You can do this!

minty photo bomb

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There’s A New Fluff Ball In Town

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puppy and lucy

This little fluff ball came home with us yesterday.  Lucy is in charge.  She has her work cut out for her.  I think this sort of responsibility suits her personality ( read “bossy” ).  Also, it will take some of the heat off poor Otto ;).

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He is from Beauchasseur.  His kennel name is “Illuminatus,” but we’re working on his daily name.

Get Your Frites On

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Sweet Potato and Potato Fries

I had some other HILARIOUS paronomasia on frites and / or sweet frites, but was completely distracted by Brent’s frites song of which I forgot. I’m sure it wasn’t “Get Your Frites On,” but it may as well have been.  He’s pretty good with music and random French cuisine.

beef bavette

We’re steak fingering our bavettes this evening and OH they shall be scrumptious. A bavette can be fried in animal fat with salt and pepper and enjoyed in a tender, tasty sort of way. I’ve also seen recipes that chuck an entire Saint-Marcellin cheese ball on top of a bavetter for kicks.  I’ve done that.  It tastes great!

I’d love to follow up with fluffed finish shots, but 1) I’m hungry and 2) I want to push that sappy kid post I did.  I totally said that out loud.

 

 

 

To Kid Or Not To Kid?

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You are twenty-four, how many kids do you want?  NONE!?!?  Okay, you are now sixty-five, how many kids do you want? TEN!  TWENTY!

My mom had six and I think she’s reaping the benefits.

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That is the question.

So much of life can be spent without children.  They are conceived and born and grow so quickly.  Those “old” people always say that, but it is actually true.  My little bubble is three.  Our last bubble ever.  She is SO cute ( and so horrible at the same time ).  Yet when you think of having kids, you think about the impact they will have on your totally awesome life.  It’s quite possible you will sit less.  You might have to put that book down and get a water bottle for them.   A hot dinner can be somewhat of a distant memory.  If someone on the internet is wrong, you’ll need to save that draft and carry on after bedtime.

 

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These inconveniences are temporary.  Soon they will grow older.  As a lovely friend of mine described: as their age increases, so your I.Q. Decreases ( S. McM ).  “Mom!  You don’t know anything!” Family photo not into it

… Yeah, you are probably right.  Mum has a right case of the baby head.  It takes a few years to get over that baby-crawly-toddler deal.  I used to do math in my head.  Fuck that.

 

Kids are great.  I never thought I’d say that, but they are so insightful.  Completely raw with their thoughts.  Beautiful art.  Way too curious.  Eat WAY too much food.  Sleep WAY too much.  Loving beings.

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Have you hugged a kid today?  

Boxing Day, A Day No American Understands nor Has Yet To Hear The Real Story

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Until today …

We were kindly ( and perhaps finitely … so brave to invite four young kids and two adults to dinner ) invited to a Boxing Day dinner with “REAL” people who do Boxing Day and have done Boxing Day for their whole lives. I didn’t take any photos. Though I should have. All I have are pics of our Christmas day to fill in.

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I have often asked of Boxing Day people, “what is boxing day?” in a similar way they ask of us, “what is thanksgiving?” To this, I get the same shrugged response, not unlike our own, “I dunno.”

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Tonight, I was finally educated on all the fuss that occurs on the day after Christmas.  It turns out, when our host was young, after the Christmas celebration, she would chuck boxes of food and such down to the basement for the people who had served her.  They would enjoy lovely presents and food that was much appreciated during this cold time of year.  Seeing as we are but rural farmers, she took pity on us and continued the tradition.

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Okay … just joking there.  That was the origin, but in this day and age, it seems that Boxing Day is a way to reach out to other family members and friends and have a good laugh.

We had an amazing dinner, with warmy roasting yum and mash and green and gravy.  I wish I could have stuffed more in, but I was waiting for “Pudding” … that’s Boxing Day People for “dessert.”

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Giggles were had.  Stories were told.  Kids made a mess.  Bellies were warm.  It felt like Christmas.

So great, we left our kids, minus the wee one.  They stayed and played.  We put the wee one to bed.  Then we took a breath.
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Happy Boxing Day to you people who celebrate Boxing Day!!!  Is it Merry Boxing Day?  Joyous Boxing Day?  Holy Crap the Shops are Closed Again Boxing Day?  Whatever it is, we had a great day and I hope you will too.