Loafkeeper Farm

I started a new job a couple weeks ago. On the plus side, the work is more interesting / challenging, the salary is a little bit more, and I can work from home when I need to. On the negative side, I have to share an office and my back is to a floor-to-ceiling window that is open to the main reception area for the entire building. This has the potential to put a serious crimp in my web surfing. The folks I share the office don't really care so much, but when the Big Cheese walks by and sees the bright pink screen of someone's blog....yeah.

Luckily, eventually my desk will be moved around and things will be dandy, but who knows how long that will take. It's not a simple desk that can be flipped around; it has a hutch and it's got a couple of pieces and the U movers will have to come in. For a while, there was a large bookcase there to block the window as a temporary measure. I loved it, but no one else (including 2nd Big Cheese) liked it. The bookcase was removed a few days ago.

I feel naked.

But what to do? We can't hang shades or blinds or curtains. We aren't allowed to put temporary frosting film on the windows. I suggested we hang some posters of cute guys, but no. Thus....I introduce to you: Operation Plantoflauge.



I found the tallest plant stand I could and tested out all the large plants HD had to offer. Andy was amusing the baby while I kept asking him: "Can you see me?" "What about this one? It's bushy but short. Or this one that's tall but skimpy?" There were a couple of really huge palms, but they were too wide and would probably blind my neighbor. This one that we settled on wasn't the tallest, but it is dense. Hopefully with some TLC it will head up a bit more.

What I really would like to do...for Operation Plantoflauge II...is to get some hanging plants to hang over this one, so eventually the two will meet and form a living curtain. I will keep you updated.

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We picked up the new car today, and managed to miss the traffic from the race. Here's a quick picture of it.

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I'm sure Ganya saw that title and got all excited that we have become NASCAR fans. Fortunately, that is not the case. However, we are going down there Saturday to get our new car!



Let's hope we can get in and out while the race is still going on.

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Most of the Master Gardener classes have been pretty practical: soil and water conservation, basic botany, integrated pest management. This past Thursday, though, we got to get our hands dirty and play. VT actually has a real course in floral design complete with a giant refrigerator room and shelves of various flower containers, mountains of that weird green foam stuff, and sort of scary knives. The instructor, who also taught our botany class, gave us a quick overview of floral design, and then we jumped in. (Well, a bunch of us went and ate cookies while the others took all the good flowers.) Here's what I made.



At the end of the class, the instructor gave a brief critique to everyone. He said mine was a european botanical. European 'cause I squished in lots of flowers and botanical because when he called "5 minutes left," I started jamming in a bunch of greenery to cover up the foam base. It really was a lot of fun, and I have to quiet the urge to run out and buy a scary floral knife and some of that alien foam. (I asked the instructor what the foam is made out of, and he said, "It's a secret." I thought he was kidding, but apparently the floral foam market is very hush hush.)

I asked Anya if she thought I should quit my job and become a florist. She looked at me and said:



I said, "Fine, be a big ole meanie butt! Go play with your v-smile!" She said, "Uh, I don't have a v-smile because they are dumb. How about I read my book?"

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Today, after almost two years of searching, I found our Loafkeeper flag that Cabol's old coworkers sent us!



It was cleverly hidden on the top shelf in the office the whole time.

Of course, with my amazing only-knowing-one-knot tying skills, I expect it to last about 1 day before the winds here blow it into the trees.

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At our family meeting this weekend, I asked Anya for her monthly list of achievements. She stuck her thumb in her mouth and pondered deeply. After a few moments passed with nothing but a slurpy sucking sound disturbing the silence, Anya wiggled a little, clapped her feet together, and then blew a raspberry at me.

Now, if I acted that way at my performance evaluations at work, I would probably get fired or put on probation or at the very least told not to spray everyone with saliva. But, since Anya is pretty cute, I let it pass. I asked her again what she had accomplished this month, "I have to put it on the blog, you know!"

She didn't even glance at me this time...she just thoughtfully examined a hairy cheerio on the floor.

What I'm trying to say here, people, is that I don't really have a list this month. Anya's agent (a small, grey bunny covered in slobber, baby tylenol, and prune guts) informed me that Anya is "on sabbatical" from learning new tricks and will maybe put together something new for us all next month. This past month, according to the bunny, Anya has been working to refine her existing talents and to explore various ways to perfect new skills.

So, if you came here expecting to read that Anya took her first step, learned how to use a spoon, or wrote a lovely symphony, I'm afraid you'll be a bit disappointed. If you came here for a few pictures, I can do that. (Just don't tell the bunny; I don't think our contract allows public dissemination of photos without prior approval.)

A Portrait of Anya as a 10-Month-Old



Anya Reads Her New Contract Before Signing



Anya Teaches Aunt Rebecca and Uncle Chris about Shepherding

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This weekend I finished caulking the trim in the basement room (the trim that is up, anyways) (don't use the phrase 'a little caulk' around Cabol). We moved the bed, which involved a lot of grunting and groaning and Cabol hurting her wrists.





We still need to:

• Finish the pocket door frame


• Finish the room and door trim


• Frame out the little window and put trim on it


• Replace the older outlets, and put face plates on all of them

But hey, we can sleep down there now! And we can move the full bed out of the office and set up the tables to get the seeds started!

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Farewell, Leigh. I hope you've finally found peace and light. Andy and I will make sure to tell Anya all about her Grandpa: Bounce-to-the-Ounce, snails, sweater vests, Captain Leigh, nurblies, hot peppers, and all the rest of your wackiness.



Leigh Volker 1946-2008

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