Working From Home, With Rooster

Yesterday was an amusing first for me. While I was on the phone for work, discussing with my colleague Bob the various options for some of the electronics in our newest product, Buster the rooster began crowing. When I told Bob what it was, he said "oh, good, I was hoping that wasn't you making those sounds."

Now, ordinarily, one does not associate crowing roosters with high-tech electronics design. Then again, one ordinarily imagines roosters crowing "at the break of dawn" (as the Dylan song goes), but I can assure you that is not Buster's strong point. The other day when I went to let the chickens out at about 8am, they looked more sleepy than I was. In contrast, 3:30 in the afternoon seemed to Buster like a fine time for crowing. Perhaps he had just found a particularly nice roost, as he did the other day with the stack of locust poles that Laura is planning to use for her garden gate. At the end of the call, Bob suggested that I ought to go out and "give that rooster a piece of my mind."

At first, I guess I was a bit embarrassed by having sounds normally associated with farmyards in the background of my work phone call. But the more I thought about it, the more it seemed like someone else's problem... probably society's at large. The fact is, Buster interrupts me far less often, and rather more pleasantly, than the telemarketers and salespeople who have now been instructed to call at the most awful times in hopes of actually getting you to answer the phone. There are plenty of times when I've lost my train of thought in the midst of some tricky software development work because FedEx is banging on the door, or someone needs help logging into Outlook. (Which, by the way, is not part of my job description.)

All in all, I think I prefer a crowing rooster and some cackling guinea hens. Considering how much more efficiently I can work from home, my boss probably does too.

Rainwater Collection

Greg is adding two barrels to his rainwater collection system.  Water gets pumped from the barrels on the ground up to a barrel on his balcony, giving Marty and Greg plenty of water pressure for watering the garden.

Dame's Rocket Paradise

One thing that makes me cringe is the memory of a line I once wrote:  "How enchanted was I by the sight I beheld."  I was going through a Jane Austen phase, but is that any excuse?  Well, the line applies here.

Directly in back of our house and through the tree line, I can hop onto the Loop Trail that Joe (and the deer) made.  It was  here I stumbled into clusters of dame's rocket in every direction.  The photos don't do it justice.  Suddenly it's everywhere!

 
There were so many that Sue and I could gather bouquets for everyone without spoiling the effect.

Community Garden Update

Steve and Greg have made great progress on the community garden in the center circle.  It's all tilled now, and Greg has sown one-third of it with five pounds of sunflower seeds, which should make for a spectacular sight this summer.  Steve has planted onions and will be adding melons and pumpkins.

Pond Play

The pond is one of our favorite places to play.  We throw rocks, check on the progress of plentiful tadpoles, look for animal tracks, and poke at the mud.  Those who don't mind the mud hop in for a a swim.

Grape Arbor

One day, Greg dug holes behind his house. This is curious, thought his neighbors.

Another day, large logs arrived and got shaved. Interesting, thought the little onlooker.

Finally, it all came together. Greg added a wonderful grape arbor to the back of his house. Rob Champion and Kerry Gordon and Rod Lambert put together the structure.

Marty planted some grapes. Covered with leaves, it's going to be very nice. I hear there are plans for a hammock underneath it.

New Faces Around the Campfire

It's campfire season!

Liam, Jules, Devin and Steven, our newest applicant household, visited White Hawk last weekend and thoughtfully supplied s'mores ingredients.  We'll be seeing more of them when they move to Ithaca in July.