Well, so so many exciting things to report, I hardly know where to start. Lots of things have arrived at Beacon Street in the last few days.
A new laptop! I'm writing this at my spanking new G5 powerbook, bought at great crippling expense to myself to replace old 'bruised and battered', my faithful friend, whose battering (as seen in previous posts) finally got to be too much. The joy.
Animals! I am the proud custodian of a 6 month old rooster and a baby duck, bought from the egg-man himself, Jimmy Jones of Marion. This has been a whole learning curve since 4pm yesterday when we carried back Lucky Ducky the rooster (who shat in Carol's car on the way home) and Charlie the duck, along with a very small baby hen-chick.
The first, and saddest part, is that Charlie turned out to be a bit of a bully despite his young age. He nearly drowned the chick in the water-bowl we gave them (thinking they could share) and then pecked it to death. So, tragedy came early but we hope that the chick's successor (to be purchased this weekend) will grow up (in a separate pen to the duck) to be strong and healthy and lay me lots of eggs.
The next part of the learning experience was that we made a temporary pen for Lucky in the yard, without a roof, and this morning when I went out to feed him he wasn't in it! Alas, I thought, another loss to the Beacon Street community, he's flown off back home. But no, this afternoon he was found strutting in the street in front of our house. So he does already know where his home is and we will make him a pen with roof and little hut to nest in soon.
Bad news! Evil George W has axed the federal loan programme (Rural Development 502) which was going to enable our house to be built for all the needy of Hale County. But hope remains that the fledgling Greensboro Housing Office is going to continue to provide a loan with the same criteria, funded through other, independent, sources. This may actually mean more people qualify for it, as we won't have to insist on exactly the same criteria for credit, land ownership etc.
And last but not least, I played fiddle last night with the famous Snuffy, old bricklayer from Marion who is quite a wonderful fiddler despite his knarled hands. He is also the reason that my band formed, being the catalyst for the introduction of Ted to Chip. It was really wonderful to play with him, with all his old-time fiddler grumps, airs and anti-Baptist jokes (because the strict religious people round here used to think that the fiddle was the devil's instrument as it apparently inspires its listeners to lasciviousness and frolicking).
So, excitement all round. I'm off to play with my new toy, accompanied by the peeping of my little duck (living in my warm bedroom for the time being...)
A new laptop! I'm writing this at my spanking new G5 powerbook, bought at great crippling expense to myself to replace old 'bruised and battered', my faithful friend, whose battering (as seen in previous posts) finally got to be too much. The joy.
Animals! I am the proud custodian of a 6 month old rooster and a baby duck, bought from the egg-man himself, Jimmy Jones of Marion. This has been a whole learning curve since 4pm yesterday when we carried back Lucky Ducky the rooster (who shat in Carol's car on the way home) and Charlie the duck, along with a very small baby hen-chick.
The first, and saddest part, is that Charlie turned out to be a bit of a bully despite his young age. He nearly drowned the chick in the water-bowl we gave them (thinking they could share) and then pecked it to death. So, tragedy came early but we hope that the chick's successor (to be purchased this weekend) will grow up (in a separate pen to the duck) to be strong and healthy and lay me lots of eggs.
The next part of the learning experience was that we made a temporary pen for Lucky in the yard, without a roof, and this morning when I went out to feed him he wasn't in it! Alas, I thought, another loss to the Beacon Street community, he's flown off back home. But no, this afternoon he was found strutting in the street in front of our house. So he does already know where his home is and we will make him a pen with roof and little hut to nest in soon.
Bad news! Evil George W has axed the federal loan programme (Rural Development 502) which was going to enable our house to be built for all the needy of Hale County. But hope remains that the fledgling Greensboro Housing Office is going to continue to provide a loan with the same criteria, funded through other, independent, sources. This may actually mean more people qualify for it, as we won't have to insist on exactly the same criteria for credit, land ownership etc.
And last but not least, I played fiddle last night with the famous Snuffy, old bricklayer from Marion who is quite a wonderful fiddler despite his knarled hands. He is also the reason that my band formed, being the catalyst for the introduction of Ted to Chip. It was really wonderful to play with him, with all his old-time fiddler grumps, airs and anti-Baptist jokes (because the strict religious people round here used to think that the fiddle was the devil's instrument as it apparently inspires its listeners to lasciviousness and frolicking).
So, excitement all round. I'm off to play with my new toy, accompanied by the peeping of my little duck (living in my warm bedroom for the time being...)
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