First Sonnet

The camera isn't readily available. Marianne took it today and took pictures of the rabbits that I (finally!!) moved into the community pen. 1 buck, 4 does- food, shelter and water. Anyways, he should be doing alright, but at first his simple, sneaky attempts at mounting failed with the 4 does ducking for cover- for the last couple years rabbit mating has occurred in a small pen- now that they have 120 square feet looks like flowers, a movie and foreplay will necessitate. Very happy to see a few of the bunnies in a much more humane, loving environment. I'll be the first to say it- I love seeing those guys run around and happy- trying to figure out how to get more of them into a community environment. The tough part is I do need to keep up on pedigrees, and select stock. So cages are partially a necessity.

First sonnet- ok- I am doing a drop in audit class at CSC. Thanks M. We were supposed to write a sonnet. Anyways, my shortcomings with music translate into my very often not writing, but rather enjoying to read poetry. Well, kind of hard to do that in a creative writing class. So I am proud to say that I did write a (what I think is) a half way decent sonnet- and it is my first. I did start to write a prose sonnet (with the attached argument that shakespeare/petrarch are dead- so the form are more of guidelines anyways) as a love note to a h.s. girlfriend about what my wife thinks of her (even though Marianne never met her) Anyways- shall I say-lame?
So- no bashing here's the sonnet without the title.

Let us be something kind like broken glass,

Of harsh talk between all the good flittings,

That shake and shook all the broken fittings

And ebbed our coarseness- Into our last-

As screens and the quiet gleams of cities

On bridges apart that span our distance

Let us break the rebar cages, consistence

(upon) our rages- and all our pretties

Blooming like flowers after thermal winds

When I myself being all the seeing

Of daffodils torn by mistrals being

Flutters between the shines of looming kinds-

Yes and I never finding your contrast

Let us make this visit our very last.

couple like/eye rhymes there- so not completely true to form, but I tried making them sneakily work- work? works?

Zac

Days in Advance

Work, work then pig by byes- chicken by byes and then setting blocks, setting blocks- work- but back to old shift.

It is a day that speaks
When hurried clouds do go
In the Air of cool September

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Well, to use the blog as a venting post, briefly this time, because we have company downstairs and really want to lean back in a chair and enjoy cake and ice cream...

Lost quite a few hens almost two weeks ago- think were coyotes- trying to take care of that. Spent one night in the barn waiting for a coon- lost a pullet today to a dog in the neighborhood- need to take care of that.

Otherwise work is alright- full time again- house coming nicely- can't wait to really stack a lot of that this weekend.

Leap Frog

Elida and Burt were playing Leap Frog the other day- but I don't think he is a very good jumper because he couldn't ever get over her- anyways he got mad when we took her away to milk, but they must have pretty good memories because they started the game right up again when we let her out.
Zac

Well, I couldn't very well sleep so what better to do late in the night than chat with your public, schizo friend (blog)? A professor I met at UCB referred to diaries as our schizo self- which I thought was a neat little thought- writing to yourself though that entity is contained in another form.

Anyways, can't sleep. I ended up switching positions at work, and now paying the unforeseen consequences of changing shifts/responsibilities. Mainly right now that means the inability to sleep. Sometimes worry too much.

The garden is in its final stages for us this year. Much of it has been discced in. With two weeks in the CSA season left, it seems like it will be timely enough for us.

Beef shares are selling well. Happy to see our steer go, and the interest in the grass based meats. This is especially nice since we are phasing out the pigs as a mainstay on the farm.

The house is going well. The work has halted cept on weekends due to being back at work. Hopefully get the basement done by the end of the month. There is plenty of minor constructions around here that need to get done also.

The honeycomb at night has strange dreams:
Small black trains going round and round
Old warships drowning in the raindrop.
-Robert Bly

House Progression

Grandpa with the transit taking level in the hole. We had minor problems keeping the same level. In the end we made a grade within our form, and dug some of it. Turned out just fine.



The hole has more water than we'd like, but what can you do. We dug the drainage out to daylight, but we're having it fill a cistern for irrigation.
First day of form building done.
Second day- I spent the rest of the afternoon putting in stakes, spreaders and then a rush to RP's to get rerod. We poured the next morning.

$562 worth of concrete. Extra went to center for supporting timber, right for supporting timber, and side for chimney.
Next day I started popping the forms off. Lot of denailing. Grandpa came in time to help pop the inside forms. Went much faster with two people= 1 wrecking bar, one crow bar.
$270 worth of stone. Hundred bucks worth of drainpipe. Spread that out. Grandpa used to excavator to drop the stone near where I needed to shovel it. O, thanks KRR for the excavator.

A Month worth of paychecks in blocks. That is the next big project- then backfill, deck and get onto other fall projects. I am going to go sleep in the field tonight- night!


Date of pour.

House

Quick posting before clocking out. Work at 8am tomorrow. Not sure if I should have switched positions. Gotta get going early just to get out on time.
Finished forms last night- ordered cement earlier that day and was poured this morning at nine for the footing. Grandpa told me not to get excited- I was jumping around as we were going at floating the cement and helping to direct the pour. I told him it was like having sex for the first time: you're not sure exactly what to do, but you're just so excited that it's happening.

Tomorrow get out of work at 12- going to get water pipe, 3 yards of sand, and get over to the place- take apart the forms, till grandpa shows up.
Zac