on the WAY ....

Chittenden Brook Farm closes tomorrow and Thursday.. Our new house at 6901 Ramsey Road, Midddleton, WI 53562 will close in one week.  The moving truck will be here January 4th.  Kelzie will be hom from 12.20 to 1.3 to help use get ready... Chili will stay with the farm and begins his relationship witht he buyers tomorrow.
We have many arrangements in Madison and ready to move.. our new email address with be rmbeebe@gmail.com - give it a try......

TOUGH

I figured writing about it would help but it does not.... Demise of the farm... We can not g on in the maintenance mode but taking the living part away hurts... Goat went to a 10 year old whose father rent pasture for his cattle. Sheep went to a neighbor who will start a herd within 3 miles (which makes us feel good). Decisioins about Chili are coming hard.. Gretchen's family, with the farm, with us.....Packing comes easy to reduce the pressure and futility of demise feelings.. Plans to move are developing, but where we shall end up is up in the air and scary- Marnie is doing a wonderful job of searching, sorting, looking and try out the feel of possibilities which make the end point with some closure we do not have yet. The leaves are gone and the only vestiges of us member are southern winds which bring unusual warmth and grey days. We shall muddle on with marching fortitude.

MOVING ON .... slowly we are afraid

 CHITTENDEN BROOK FARM
 to Madison and Bloomington.. looking for condos and apartment rentals  ....   Go Occupation

We have an accepted offer for Chittenden Brook Farm and have sold the equipment and sheep.  Marnie was in Madison last week look for Condo last week and I rode my moto to Madison last Sunday (to leave in storage).  We looked at condos and houses on Monday and decided to try to buy out a agreed sales contract on a neat praire house.. after a tense 24 hours we were rejected inspite of the buyer and seller making substantially more money than they agreed to.  So we are back to sorting Condos and Houses to move to by Jan 15th.  We will restart our search over Thanksgiving and begin getting our vehicle to WI before the weather permanently turns bad...

WHILE I WAS AWAY ... The trapping goes on

Marnie and our trapper were very busy over the 15 days
Marnie caught and moved 16 skunks / 1 cat / 4 possums / 0 raccoons
The trapper trying to catch coyotes got: 4 coyotes / 8 possums / 2 raccoons
We shall take some trapping time off for hunting season
One skunk was very white....

HOME

10.25.11. Blytheville, AR to HOME
380 miles / 5981 total / 12000 miles on bike and still tentative about liking it
5:33 ride time
Mostly in the 50s and cooling
Home by 2:30 and on to the mower to prepare for the showing
All expressway except the last 50 miles
Will send the seat back to Russell Day Long to get it reworked as it is too high and dangerous for me when on the center stands or riding in curves.
Worn out front tire and service lite came on 3 miles from home

AUSTIN ...Kelzie

10.22-23.11 Saturday & Sunday
Bought seat & oil for my bike, wifi & printer for Nook, set up wifi, dinner at mongolian BBQ, and watched UW lose in football. Went to watch the millions of bats come out from under Conress street bridge where they live in warm seasons after dusk. Could not get Packer game, so set up printer. In the am we rented water bikes and went for a ride in Lady Bird Lake in the middle of Austin. Then to see the capital and on to the original Whole Foods store. Dinner at Which Wich and Sunday nite tv I

10.24.11 - Monday---- HUSSLING HOME
Austin to Bytheville AR
703 Miles. / 5601 miles Total
9:40 Hours starting at 7:15am
In the fog to Dallas and in the 60s, then 70s but never above 75 degrees
350 to go and get ready for a showing....

Back toward Home via Nook's

10.19.11 Wednesday
Manteca, CA (s of Stockton) to Flagstaff, AZ
711 miles / 3865 total
10 hours. With 73.5 moving average
Started at 8 feet, went 4k back to 600 at the Colorado River and up to 6K here
Left 6:45, 1/2nd before sunup

10.20.11 Flagstaff to Lubbock TX
642 Miles / 4508 total
LEFT at 7:15 / 8:52 ride time/lost two time zones PAc=az, mtn=nm, central=TX
Cold due to elevation above 6K' most of the day
Got a speeding warning ticket from TX HIGHWAY PATROL

10.21.11 Friday
Lubbock to Austin and Kelzie's house
390 miles / 4898 total miles
6:05 on the road across desert onback roads
5000--10000 wind turbines for electricity
Nice dinner at BBQ Place

FAMOUS FROM CHICO

Aaron Rodgers was from Chico and attended Butte College there before going to CAL... THE sign on the Welcome sign is a stip in green and yellow saying "HOME OF AARON RODGERS #12" with no reference to the Green Bay Packers

10.17.11. Monday
Showed at 8:00 but they would not work on my bike today, but could move me up to Tuesday am... So three laps and much rest today

10.18.11 Tuesday
Redding to Shasta Lake to Manteca CA
275 miles / 3155 total
1.5 hours testing seat and 3 going south
up early to get to Russells for seat work... Working on the seat now and should be back on the road south in early afternoon...

Left Russell Day-Long at 3:30 and rode hard down I5 to Stockton and across to I99 with stop at Manteca

Arrivee - Shasta Lake CA

10.15.11 Saturday
Tehachapi CA to Chico CA to stay with great friend Barbara Mahler (friend since 1975)
406 miles up expressway 99--- 2795 total/7hours to surprise Barb
Barb and I went out to dinner Saturday and to church Sunday am
Gradually lost elevation to consistently below 100' and all agricultural lands..

Marnie bought 25 new chickens and is training them to their new life style - get them out in the AM and herding them to the chicken house at dusk... Also managing all other tasks on the farm.

10.16.11 - Sunday
Church at 10:30 and left at noon
Chico CA to Shasta Lake CA
84 miles/ 2879 total
1:30 driving.. And staying at the Best Western ( prevousily HIEXP where I stayed twice before )

Over the Rockies

Thursday -10.13.11
Alamosa CO to Flagstaff AZ
466 miles / 1922 total
I had planned to abort trip because of weather and mnt conditions
but in the morning I decided to Try the northern route to 4 corners-grand canyon
Went over Wolf Creek pass at 10800' in the snow and cold with dry roads. Got to 4CORNERS mid afternoon and the on down to Flagstaff..
7:45 ride time and mostly around 7K feet elevation tho did come down to 5k in navaho country.
Forgot to write about incident yesterday.. On 285 south about noon on clear road a car approaching me went into a skid into my lane and into the ditch. I quickly crossed over behind the vehicle. The car was a mess with blown tires and bent rims but no one hurt--- just me scared. They waved me on and they went the other direct on bare rims on rear end.

Friday - 10.14.11
Around the end
Flagstaff AZ to Tehachapi CA
486 miles / 2390 total.
Average moving speed=68.5. 6:49 ride time
Thru the Mohave desert where temperatures ranged from low 90 to 100 deg F - very uncomfortable
Most elevations were above 5K'
Nice desert scenery

More ride

10.12.11 Wednesday
Golden CO to Loveland Pass to Golden to south to Monarck Pass to south Alamosa CO
352 milles /1456 total miles
6:09 traveling but 9 hours total
Started west on I70. Ran into snow at 10k feet and ice shortly thereafter with temperatures dropping from the 40s to freezing...
Slowly with feet down crossed over to east 70 and Golden and Then south on 285 thru the mountains which were cold until crossing hwy 50... Rode 50 to Monarch pass and decided to get warmer by moving out of the mtns and south.. Exhaust in Alamosa so checked into motel.

Thinking of forgetting California and going to Austin to see Kelzie and then home. Tired of cold and being uncomfortable which might extend for another 3600 miles if I proceed. Decide in the morning

ON THE ROAD ... a log

10.10.11
Chittenden Brook Farm to Topeka KS
540 miles in 8 hours
Average 67+ mph
@ 80 mph= 46mpg / @ 70mph = 51+ mpg
Rain in KC for about 1/2 hour
Yellow full face helmet works good
$38 gas/$88 motel/$10 food+toll

10.11.11
Topeka KS to Golden CO Hampton Inn
564 miles / 1104 total
8:30 riding
See mtns 60 miles out, cold most days as clouds & temp drop tp 50s from 70
Pick up a cyclist who ran out of gas - to next exit
From 1000 ' to 5800'
$ 600 in gas. / 130 Hampton / 10 food

Good Morning

We are treated by our Morning Glory each day and they are particularly great now and as the Fannel Mullen decline into a brown fence post. 

 We have sold 3 lambs - Dorse, Saphire & Blackspot - to a petting farm because they were th tamest sheep we had... hoping to find happy home for the other 9 in short order.  But until then we have life events coming up for them... will be sheared and hooves trimmed for winter this coming friday. They will look entirely different next week.  We have cattle back - 11 cows here for the winter and calving in the spring.

We ae getting rain and lots of it  - but late and not in time to save our second cutting hay crop.  Everyone with cattle is worried about having enough hay to get throught eh winter - need 6 very large bales per head. We cut for second cutting and got 18 bales -  half of the 40 last year which was half of a good year when we got 80 bales. people will be hurting for hay....

Planning to ride new bike to California to have a comfort seat built.  Have has 3 other seats built by Russell over the years.  planning to leave aout oct 10 and getting the work done on 10.19.  How the snow does not start in the high country before 10.25 so I can get home.

No one ever blieves us when we trap white skunks.. so



  An FOOTBALL has started so here we go for another disappointing season with a few bright spots.. so far 1of4

Finally rain and a nice trip to Cincinnati friends

We had a great weekend with friends... Friday with our friends from birthing classes 29 years ago - the Howards, Debbie and Steve. And we got to go to one of our favorite ribs places - Montgomery Inn. Saturday we attended the b'not mitzvah of the Shusterman-Greenwell twins - Avocet and Siena. Nice service and great party thereafter, meeting their friends and family.

2.3 inches of rain in the last several days- first significant rain in more than two months.. Lake and pond have not caught up, but the green is returning to fields and lawn. We are encouraged...

We advertised our lambs for sale to free up from some obligation - three were sold to a person starting a farm in the neighboring county. 9 left... Brownie will be given to the daughter of the neighbor who has cattle on our land in exchange for feeding while we are away..

Kelzie had a competition at Cedar Point in Sandusky Ohio weekend before last and did quite well. She is back in Austin working her. B... Off as usual.. Keep it up Nook...

Lambs recovering and Mini Passes - Goats Willow and Wee Willy to Circus

All the lambs are looking good but Mini never recovered and died last week (actually a releif) as we did not know what to do to aid her recovery. The large Sannen goats were sent to friends to join a larger herd of goats as they we getting very problematic and interfering with the other animals. We go our first rain today 9.9 and doubt it will lead to any vegetation recovery. We will not get any second cutting hay and everyone is worried about hay supplies as they have had to start feeing hay 2 months early. Actually, while we had more moistuare this year and later, the DRAUGHT is worse because of the cummulative effect of two years shortage- grass is not growing and trees are dying. Rental water supply sprung an underground leak- need to go dig..... Got it repaired by noon and now watch for more problems before covering this one.

Cloudy and cold all week... Maybe rain for the IU VIRGINIA game tonite in which case we could forgo the loss.. cleaned barns and organized the workshed this week for inside work.

Kelzie is in an Ironman at Cedar Point in Sandusky Ohio this Sunday. We can not follower h online as this is a different race company and not on the net. Hope for a finish and a good one at that. 

FREINDS

Dry...dry...dry

We may not get a second cutting of hay worth the cost of fuel if we do not get some rain. Nothing has turn brain and burned like last year ut the stage is set to have the same probalems if rain does not stop being called for here but then splits north and/or south of us. Going to Madison next weekend patty at Haugh's and to get my new used bike at Mischlers. Leave Friday and back Monday while our neighbors take care of animals and feed for us.

Got my new used bike home yesterday. Had a great weekend in Madison - friday for some shopping for cheese and coffee, Saturday was for Marnies haircut at 7 am, pick up bike in Beaver Dam in am, visit friends in the afternoon and shop, Sunday to church at Bethany twice, to the reception honoring the marriage of Amy and Matt Haugh, and a fast 400 miles home to IN. In by 9 with only one hour of nite riding.

All is well here..... Cept for tree scale, anemic sheep and DRAUGHT.....

Hatched 13 new guineas for a friend- another hen sits it out. The two old goats have been sent tom the circus. Some improvement in the sheep herd - only two lambs still not thriving and we are now trying isolation and controlled eating. Hope things improve quickly.

8.4
Several lambs improved and only two are taking daily individual treatment - Mini & #27. Six chicks hatched. Very hot so we work in the am and stay inside in the afternoon doing inside work and napping.

8.7
Restarted core workouts- sore butt good feeling. Have not figured out Minies problem (smallest lamb) and can not wee any change from our interventions. Frustrating and frustrated, fearful for her. Do not know what to do next to prevent further emascation and weakness. Other lambs are looking healthy and are growing vigorously. No significant rain in 4 weeks, we are hoping this summer will not repeat last summer's draught (no rain from June 20 til oct 15).

Lambs

Tuesday - Just completed a 5 day drenching for coccidisos followed by a dose of worm meds as we have some diarrhetic lambs and some not gaining weight. Started the process of trimming hooves today completing 3 goats and 3 sheep. Luckily we have tamed the sheep so they are easy to work with and the goats might as well be dogs. Monday wew lost our second lamb, having had one die the week before. We can not figure why they died as they were not diarrhetic and we apparently eating and active less than 12 hours before death. This enterprise is becoming a time consuming, expensive and worrisome.

Two lambs have died, four still scour and two are scrawny-kissing wt. Depressing and exhausting... One good sign is the one which could not get upmis now able to lay down and arise. Two Sannen goat will go to the circus.. They are big and in the way most of the time. Also they are hard on the sheep. They have been grea friends and ompanions but now is the time or hem to move on.


Our foster son, Geoff Hubbard, and his 2 children are coming from AL for the weekend. Have not seen him in more than 15 years. Kelzie and Marnie are planning for Ironman Canada in Penpiction on August 28.

East and EAST then SOUTH

7.24.11 Sunday
Paul leaves for home. 406 miles / 2628 total

7.23.11 Saturday
Kincardine, ON to Chittenden Brook Farm / home
539 miles / 2628 total / 8:34 minutes
Above 90 degrees from Michigan on. 100 degrees at 465 x 37.. Hot..hot..hot !
Stopped at Rural King for medication..

7.22.11 Friday
Bruce Mines to Kincarden ON... via the Soyhe Baymouth - Tobemory Ferry
281 miles / 2089 total / 5:30
2hrs on the ferry. Cool day with marginal sunshine

ON THE ROAD NORTH BY EAST

7.21.11 Thursday
Nipigon ON to Bruce Mines ON ... 40 east of Sault Saint Marie on 17
413 miles / 1809 total / 7 hrs
Fog all morning next to Lake Superior and in the 60s
lots of trees and rough land.

7.20.11 Wednesday
Superior WI to Nipigon ON
269 mi / 5:22 / 1395 total
Stopped at Aerostich, drove thru Duluth and followed hwy 11, stopped in Thunder Bay

7.19.11 Tuesday
Ashland WI to Superior via Bayfield and over the Chequamegon Pennisula on hwy #13
122 miles /1127 total miles / 2:30 riding time
Tour of the Apostle Islands by boat for 3 hours
85 temp in Bayfield and around the Penn it dropped to 70 and started to rain
As we got to our motel HI EXP

7.18.11 Monday
Waupaca to Ashland Wisconsin
245miles. /. 1004 miles / 5 hours
90 + degrees temp - hot

Bike trip with Brother Paul

Left for madison from home

Thursday 7.14.11
Chittenden Brook Farm 0 miles/trip total
Bloomington IL 200
Madison / Paul's House 393 / 393
Time. 6 hrs/ 6 /
Notes. 83deg +\- person in front paid my toll

7.15.11
Madison / Paul's house.
To Mischlers. 124 / 517 miles
Time. 2:30
82+/-

7.16.11
Pauls to Racine WI for. Ironman Racine 70.3 miles
Madison -Racine. 84 / 601 miles
Time. 2 hrs
Overcaste/ reviewed the swim & transition areas
Lunch at Noodles & Chopothe

7.17.11 Racine 70.3 mile Ironman competition
Kelzie did a 5:09
Done by 2 so Paul and I started north
Got Waupaca after riding thru Milwaukee into the Fox River Valley to Oshkosh and on to Waupaca
156 miles/total 760 miles
Staying at Best Western where mom use to have water aerobics with dinner at old familiar place and a tour our Camp Cleghorn
Temps were between 95 & 99 all the afternoon trip



7.17.11
Racine .... North in Wisconsin

Hay Again

Tuesday started by cutting 15 acres which produced 54 1700# bales, 3.6 bales per acre - a record. Cut 13 acres on Wednesday and baled today, over 3 bales per acre. Tomorrow we bale the last 12 acres, hoping for a record first cutting and a long rest from 10 hours a day in the tractor. The weather is beautiful and dry so we are delighted...

Kelzie is coming on the 7th for a race in Muncie on the 9th, then stay home until competition in Racine WI on the 16th. She got here at 4am and M took her to Muncie this noon.  We follow this evening for competition at 8am - 1.2 swim, 56 miles biking, amf 13.1 mile RUN..... then home for the week and in Racine next weekend.

Dakota Red has taken up residence with neighboring friends to whose house she often ran. Has only run once and is enjoying the in-house amenities and several dog friends. She will remain there as long as she observes decorum. Cat Lloyd has be missing for 6 weeks, suspeced of being eating by coyotes. we are having a diminishing herd of frigate to trap and remove - only 60 + skunks, possums and raccoons this spring.

Finished hay last week - 168 bales on 48 acres - 3.5 bales/acres and 80 some tons... all sold.. Rained last nite so second cutting is started unlike last yeare when he had a draught between June 20 and Oct 15 and very little second cutting..  Worked yesterday helping neighbor get his hay up and in..

Rain ... Rain. Go away

Since the second batch of hay it has rained ... Actually since 1 hr aft finishing last Friday. There has been 2-3 days of low level probability followed by a disastrous level of precipitation. So we do other things in the woods and in the barn, not feeling like we are getting the major thing done. Marnie has a bad case of the poisons on her arms from pulling invasive stuff and we both itch from ivy. Have had to reschedule bike trip around Lakes Superior and Erie because of the rain. Now expecting to see KELZIE compete in a 70.3 mile Ironman in Racine on the 17th. She will do a Ironman in Muncie the week before and spent the time between here on the farm. 

Our weekend guest were Stuart and Louise Keely, our next door neighbor in Madison from 2000-2005and here is Stu holding his first chicken.  Cleaned sheep barn today and sent Dorsey and all out to graze... rain expected again today..

---- The Flannel Mullen are beginning to fully bloom ----

we also trapped Raccoon #169/37 this morning.. Tim will be around later to move him to the Coon Dog training area.

Monday was the last rain for this week... we cut grass for 11 hours and teted 15 acres in anticipation of baling the 15 on Wed.  Cut 12 more acres on Wed so all the hay is down and to be bales by Fri-Sat to avoid the rain on Sunday.  RELIEF !!!

More later

Starting Haying... Finishing Hay

Monday -John Lawson started cutting the 5 acre back field today. two minor breakdowns before the first field was finished. Tuesday- chance of rain today. Beginning to tet the 1st fields and cut another.  ... and the flannel mullen is blooming:

Tuesday put up 15 round bales and had them stored by 7pm.  most of the hay was great for 1 day drying and some was a little wet but we had to bale or let it get rained on as it is raining on  Wednesday.

Friday - cut field #1 in the am and it was ready to bale by 6 pm - a first time occurrence for this part of the country. finished at 7 pm and made 12 - 1700# bales. Now rain for several days so haying is heldup..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fw-snZQ2UyQ / http://www.tuckerobr.com/Public/VirtualTours.asp

The 140-acre Chittenden Brook Farm
is a working farm that includes a
spectacular custom house and a rental
home along with rolling hills, pastures
and forest. A private driveway
leads to the Cape Cod home overlooking
a three-acre lake. With three
bedrooms and 2.5 baths, features include hardwood flooring with inlays, open floor plan, white woodwork and cabinetry, a huge stone fireplace, vaulted / cathedral ceilings, 80’ of porches, and French doors. The detached garage includes a well-finished guest suite with bath and
kitchen, and the large heated workshed has automatic
doors and water.
The remodeled investment property has three bedrooms,
1548 sq. ft. and detached garage. The large
equipment shed has open bays and storage room, the
fenced chicken house has water/electric and the livestock barn possesses all necessaries. Sturdy new tensile wire fencing encloses three pastures; there are 58 acres of hay fields plus equipment to work and manage
the property.
--
Rick Beebe Chittenden Brook Farm 9513 N. Mount Pleasant Road Gosport, Indiana 47433 812/876-9513
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fw-snZQ2UyQ http://www.tuckerobr.com/Public/VirtualTours.asp

ANIMALS & ANIMALS

Trapping, moving and releasing a skunk at Possum Pluge by the preeminent Expert Marnie Bankson Beebe             Here Trapped by cat food

covered by tarp and cargoized -  then released at Possum Plunge

15 new lambs and Sam's eye had to be stitched open so the lid would not grow inward

new Guinea chick hatched and mother by this Hen along 30 new chickens and 14 adult guineas

Hot Hot Hot

The temperature is up with the humidity. We therefore work early and go to town or do inside work. Getting ready for our 5th showing on Saturday. All is mowed, trimmed organized with neat interior. Chickens have not been attacked by coyotes, the sheep are all stble but hot, and the cattle have messed up the pond. The cattle will go back to fresh water in the tank rather than the pond. We start cutting hay tomorrow. We had problems with one ATV which gets picked up tomorrow and the mower was out of commission needing a 16' belt replacement which took 3 days.  Her is our plot:

our favorite plants:

Flannel Mullen

Maintenance... Maintenance

Greased and checked tires on tractor in anticipation of hay time and did routine on our 5' zero turn mower. Then went to mowing only to have the big, long belt break. Trip to town with mower-no time to fix and wrong belt. Mechanic would come independently a 6 but showed at 8 to confirm wrong belt. Lawn half finished. Promised to be here Sunday noon- no show. No belt. Monday nite now.

There 20+ guinea chicks -hard to count with the milling minatures huddling around and under mom. Sheep look terrible after their haircuts but appear vigorously healthy.

Wind in the rain last nite brought down a rotted limb. So after church I string trimmed and chain sawed the limbs for disposal. String trimmed around the house in anticipation of getting the mower going again. Mrnie home tomorrow from Kelzie's. sounds like they were very productive and had a good time.

Just to Complicate Matters

Started day with relax/read time. Then outside to trim the bushes in the north gardens. Up to the work shed to grease and clean the mower and grease the tractor in anticipation of many hours of running to make hay. Then computer work. Finally to the barn to feed and inspect the sheep, feed the goats and collect eggs (2 doz). While in the chicken house a discovery - mother hens had hatched out an unknown high number of guinea chicks the size of mice. Isolated them with mom, provided feed/water for mom (chick do not need to eat for 3 days), and rushed to the house for other supplies in a sweaty, foggy haze. No caughts today - so far this year far 24raccoons and 161 over3 seasons. Back to the barn later to check everyone out......

Friends to Visit & work on the CBF

Ross and Elaine Jett came for the weekend from Mattoon IL. They are old friends from graduate school at IU. Elaine is an avid fisherwomen who has only caught fish in our lake. She cught many this trip and took three large enough catfish to eat at home. They left on Monday and we worked our 15 lambs on Tuesday - shearing, worming, trimming hooves, & tagging their ears. Our sheep expert friend from whom we buy lambs will master mind the operation and shear the lambs. Our shearers are the Hamiltons- Brian shears and Julie catches. She has been the catcher (since they dated) - they now have 4 children so in addition to sheep she has caught a family. We also need to mow and prepare Chittenden Brook Farm for the feature, full page expose' in the Saturday newspaper.

SERVICE and HOME

Wednesday 5.25.11
Madison-Beaver Dam-Home in Indiana
483 miles in 6.5 riding hours.
Up early in the rain making it a wet ride 40 miles in 47 degree weather to Beaver Dam for Mischler BMW service. Waited until noon for the rain to slow enough to ride back to Madison and decide if I could make it home. The rain stopped totally in 40 miles and the pavement was dry in another 20. So onto Indiana. Only sprinkled on once. Much pain due to early ride discomfort Mon-Tue ride and the handle bars not close enough so one can sit straight and comfortably steer. Otherwise a nice, warm (up in the 70 deg range)and fast ride - home by 8:30. 483 miles today and 1643 miles since leaving home on Sunday.

ON the ROAD

Sunday - 5.22.11
Home to Madison
5:53 ride time
7:30 - 1:00 with 5 stops
394 miles

Monday 5.23.11
Picked up bike at 9 am and had to get a dup-copy of title since we could not find the originstrike>al. Rode to Madison and left for LaCrosse,up the Mississippi and on the sister Debbie's house in Hudson WI. Then to nieces new house and dinner with nephew Todd and sister Nancy. Very painful nite- back and leg cramps.
Beaver Dam to Madison to Hudson.
315 miles
6 hours ride time
Many stops due to painful seat

Tuesday. 5.24.1
Minneapolis at 6 am to sister Nancy/Todd, then Hudson, them Green Bay for gloves, then Beaver Dam for bike parts, on to Paul's home, and BBQ dinner @ Famous Daves.
392 miles miles / 932 total / ride time = 7.5 hrs
Up @6 to visit sister's house in Minneapolis.

Collecting APPs & .... wasting time

We have new iPhones and are collecting great APPs. Recently found iheart radio to stream 92.1 The Mic, Public Radio, our bank,travel stuff, Bing & Yelp to find services, MSNBC-Maddow, Tag reader, maps/gps, paper like huffpost, Mfld NewsHearld, Madison newspaper, CNN, on and on and on.... New discoveries daily and very seldom to a desk computer we go, spending too much time daily with our phones.  Oh the wonders of the new age of a small complete computer in one hand with any size font for the aged. 

Getting Ready for the Road

R got his 04 BMW motorcycle tuned up, service & new tires in Indy- actually it two trips to get it right. Then brother Paul decided he would buy the blue bike. That allowed me to negotiate for a new cycle -BMW '11- 1200rt in WI at Mischlers. So we are trying to arrange a trading trip.

Kelzie will compete in Brazil in her next Ironman -if her visa comes thru in time. Do not know the next competition in which she will compete.

Cattle are doing well. Sheep have been straightened out - bad feet and irritated eyes. Chickens are consistently producing 85% in eggs. Summer is here and our 5th lawn mowing. Place looks good with M working in the gardens and pulling weeds.

So far we have had 3 showings - nothing real positive but being promoted and seen. We are not in an urgent state and are willing to stay as long as need be.

Life on Chittenden Brook Farm

Currently we farm in Bean Blossom Township-Monroe County-Gosport in south-central Indiana. We have 140+\- acres- 70 of classified forest/woods, 12 fenced for animals, & 58 for hay to feed and sell. We have 15 lambs, 3 goats, 2 dogs, 1 cat and 12 heifers with 5 calves. We attacked the invasive species, fenced for animals, built a barn for cattle and smaller animals. In the last two years we have bought and sold two sets of cattle, bred 8 ewes producing 12 lambs. We divested of sheep for the winter of the second of R's hip replacement (so he can continue to ride his moto). Recovery from the second hip has been problematic at best.

The problem is - 45 minutes one way to Bloomington so we spend 1.5 hours in the car daily. We Are isolated and we cannot travel together or for an extended period of time - R got to go with Kelzie to compete in the New Orleans 1/2ironman and M will go to Brazil where the next full Ironman will be held. We have not seen friends outside the US for 5 years. You can see we are torn between the best place we will ever live and more freedom.

In addition to farm development we have done considerable work on the house improving the dining room, stormed the doors, painted in/out, built a pergola, planted 120 walnut trees, etc. This has been the most dramatic place we shall ever live.