Kindred Spirits at the Farm

When we were packing to go to the farm, I decided to bring my stove top espresso maker. I thought long and hard about it. I figured I would stick out in the mornings with my "froofy coffee" as DH calls it, but I also figured I'd need that extra kick in the mornings after late nights of chatting while sipping Joe's concoctions, or playing quarters... (ooooh, did I just say that?)

(A-hem)

And so, I received my share of ribbing, but was glad to hear that even "Farmer" indulges in lattes from time to time. And he will be able to use my "shipped from Italy" espresso that I brought for them to enjoy.

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The morning of my dinner night (we each took a turn making dinner for the crowd) I popped a BNL cd into the portable cd player we had brought for the trip, and started be-bopping around the kitchen prepping the short ribs. (Yes, I hiked up 30 stairs to the attic to get the player, then another 50 yards to the car to get the cd.... y'all know I'm a die hard fan by now) One of the Johnson sisters came in and groaned:
"Not you, too!"
"What?" I asked.
Turns out her husband is hooked on BNL. And when he got home from work that night, I asked him about it. His assessment was this:
"They're hilarious, and what's so great about them is that their humor is very intellectual."
Yes. Someone else gets it, too.

:)

Farm Vignette #2

This conversation was overheard by Cecilia, Liam's Mama.

Liam: You say "Shut What?!?" And I'll say "SHUT UP!!"

Little Love: Shut What?!?

Liam: SHUT UP!!

(both start laughing uproariously)

Little Love (screaming): SHUT WHAAATT?!?

Liam (also screaming): SHUT UP!!!!

(lather. rinse. repeat, until the laughter increases so much that it's almost impossible for them to choke out another sequence...)

Cecilia and Nutmeg: Lovely.

:)

The Farmer

The Johnson Farm consists of:

~The Patriarch, known to all affectionately as just "Barney".

~4 sisters, 3 of whom are married. And so there are 3 brother-in-laws and a gaggle of children.

~1 brother, called simply, "Farmer" by my Little Boo. He is unmarried, and quite a catch for whomever may be interested... ;)

"Farmer" had a little contest going the entire time we were there. His mission was to get a smile out of Little Boo.

My Little Boo may be made of steel, but she has a nougat center, filled with squishy sweetness. Although her will is strong and unyielding, she is incredibly shy, preferring to remain "one of the crowd" just blending in with the chaos.

Sounds familiar.

So Farmer had quite a challenge.

A quick word about Farmer. He is actually a carpenter, he pointed out to Little Boo one day. She just stared back at him, unwilling to change her initial pronouncement. And a more well-read carpenter I have never met. The conversations we had were filled with Wall Street Journal articles, opinions on authors I'd never even heard of, coupled with a vast knowledge of local architecture, it's history and future, and many many other topics in which I could offer no more than some well-intentioned burp.... At times I felt like a college student, listening to a professor.

Anyway, (back on topic now) Farmer had his work cut out for him with Little Boo. But he was persistent, and it paid off.

One night, I was trying to get the kids in bed (9:30pm seemed to be their new bedtime on the farm) and I was yelling down the stairs for Little Boo to come up.

She came up the stairs grinning and said: Farmer read me two stories!

And he was rewarded with a big smile.

:)
















ps. This photo of Farmer and me taken two years ago at our college reunion.

Farm Vignette #1

Sunday morning, after mass, our first full day on the Farm...


Mama: Do you want to go see the goats?

Little Love: Ghosts? Have blankets on their heads?

Mama: No, goats. Ma-a-a Ma-a-a. With horns, no blankets.

Little Love: Ghost?

(Giving up) Mama: Papa will take you to see the goats.

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Much later Little Love returns, wailing: I didn't see the ghosts!!

:)

*And a few days later, after "feeding" the goats many flowers on a daily basis, Little Love is seen by herself in the barn yelling at said goats: Nasty Goats! You Stop It! Apparently the goats had tried to eat Little Boo's crocs...