CHATS AND SOCK MONKEYS

So, I have my friend Jen Koski, that is a writer and editor for a couple of Rochester's publications:  The Post Bulletin and Rochester Magazine.  She's about as cute as a bug in a rug.  A while back she asked if I would teach her how to make cheese, and I did.  That was a fun day!

Actually the funny part about how we met Jen was in direct correlation of what a small town Rochester really is and what a small world is.  And the fact that all the cool people end up meeting each other, eventually. And because Jen knows all the cool people in town, and we don't.

So Jen was at a fundraiser for  - I don't know what - and Bob's Theatre Group, Vertigo Theatre Factory, donated for the the silent auction: A CHANCE TO BE AN EXTRA ON A YOU TUBE VIDEO SERIES - THE BARN BAR.

Silly Jen, she bid on it and won. Little did she know what she was getting into.  But that's another story.

So after that, Jen learned to appreciate our craziness and occasionally asks me to do stuff with her as fodder for her articles.  Which I am totally fine with that.  I have  blog, about my life, and I have several Facebook pages:  I'm already really exposed.

So Jen asked me and our dear friend Pam Whitfield to join in on her new column idea for the paper- THE CHAT. The concept was to be a little like The View, on TV, ya know the show, with Barbara, Whoopi, Joy, Elisabeth and  Sherri?

Me either.  I don't watch TV but I have kinds heard of it.  So I was game for a good time!

This is the first article.

Now I searched online at the PB and couldn't find the link.  It disappeared.  well, I'll get Jen on the task.

We did a couple the other night, back to back and I think we did even better.  When I am with a couple of funny, witty women, I can whip out the funny, but I really am not a 'fly by the seat of my pants' humorist.

MOOSE MURDERS IN THE BARN

Yes, we have this great friend, who by most people's standards is fairly normal, but for us - us and the fact that only in my world would someone want to do a really bad play in our barn, I am finding him frighteningly stranger lately.  Ryan is an incredible actor, playwright and person and we met him a couple years ago when we all did a play together by another great friend, Debi.

So here's how the story goes (loosely translated - I'm old remember):

Ryan calls and goes quickly into his low, mellow voice:
"Today is the 25th (?) anniversary of Moose Murders."

Me: "Ok???

Ryan: " I had that thought again that we HAVE to do a read through of this play."

Me: "Ok??"

Ryan: "Well, we should, I mean it really has to be done."

Me: "Ok??"

pause

Ryan: "We should do it in the barn."

Me: "Ok.  How' bout next Friday?"

Ryan:  "Yes!  That's perfect!  I'll start gathering actors."

And the next thing ya know - the worst Broadway production in history is being prepared in my barn, tomorrow.  10 actors. No rehearsals. No memorized parts. They will be handed a script at 8 o'clock and be given stage directions by Ryan.

How someone can pull together 10 actors, 5 back stage helpers, produce a poster,

set,

Ok, so yes, WE had these set walls just laying around our barn

Ryan kept asking for a long list of props and the only thing
 we didn't have was a can of vegetable soup

But we had a lodge and lodge furniture

props, T-shirt with logo, the Moose Lodge sign and an audience projected to be about 50 in one week totally amazes me!  Who does this?  and WHY?

Only in my world, only in my world.

TRYING TO FIGURE IT ALL OUT

Life on the farm can be so rewarding, exhausting and confusing all at the same time.   I look back on these 8 crazy years on the farm and all that we accomplished and I am amazed at how much got done, what we've all gone through, how much fun, heartbreak, and pleasantries we've experienced, and how exhausted we feel most of the time. But what is it that I see for the rest of the years we will be here (yes, the rest of our lives)? Our list is small this year on the "Things To Do"  which means we've done a WHOLE LOT. But now what?  With my little birds either flying the coop or thinking about it, the farm will never be the same as it was, so where do we go from here?

Whether we like it or not, we have to pay our bills, so that means we have to make some cash to pay Peter, Paul, Tom, Dick and Harry and I am sure a dozen others nowadays.  After looking at the cash flow for this farm, it looks like I might have to moonlight or Paul is gonna hire Guido to off me.  So dreams of this farm have to become a reality sooner then later.

Our goals for this year:

• Slowly do all the updating of the Barn Bar so it can become a real event center

I found this picture on line and it made me dream the our barn could look this way or even better:

• I'm only gonna plant in the garden what we can use and put up ourselves - just a little extra to sell to local restaurants as well as the eggs
• Make more goat milk soap and shampoo & conditioner
• Work more on my photography
• Finish the outdoor kitchen this year - complete with hot tub
• Do market only when it feels good, it's never been a big bread winner so don't put energy in where it's wasted
• Do some horse back riding lessons - I have horses, use them

This may seem like minor adjustments that don't seem real bread winning, but Bob will be retiring some day soon and I think having the Barn Bar as his toy (all the time) will be the perfect retirement gig, and income winner.  And be awful fun!  How many get to do that in their retirement?

THE END OF THE YEAR 2011 IN PICTURES

It's been picture perfect! Just another day in paradise.  : )

and to recap the year…. in no particular order:

Percy still thinks she's funny

Louie is still always beggin' for meat

Edie is forever wondering….

My birthday with friends

the hell of the well and pipes going out

me teaching Jen Koski  (local writer, editor)
how to make cheese for Rochester Magazine

Pig, happy by the fire

We lost our dear friend Aphrodite this year

me, I got in the paper (again)

Maddie got a full page monthly article to write in the local paper, Exposed

Bob and the boys called BE performing
 at the open mic night at the Rochester Civic Theatre

KSMQ TV came out and interviewed the characters
 from Barn Bar for a special show called Off 90

We always went to the Americana nights at the Civic Theatre

Dana Cooper (who performed last year in the Barn Bar)
and our friend Brandon Sampson

Sam competed with Honor at Sahara Sands

always a lot of peace, love and sleeping done

Sally Barris came back to perform in the Barn Bar, yay!

and for the first time we had the whole Six Mile Grove band play too

Bob painted the out buildings

I helped paint the mural in the skyway downtown for the Farmer's Market

We took the old camper out to Milwaukee and
Sam & Honor won big at the Badger Arabian Horse Show

While in Milwaukee we got to see our good friend's brand new baby Hadley

we were at it at Farmers Market again, peddling the wares of the farm

With the help of Michelle Fimon, we created a wonderful
series of images based on her poems for an art exhibit

the great, fun duo called Patchouli played in the Barn Bar in June

Louie suffers from gravity

more open mic nights

Maddie turned assistant photographer a couple times for me

BE had their album release party in the Barn Bar

the tomatoes in the raised bed
grew to high and broke my strings

our band Blue Monk played at the county fair

BE at the downtown weekly art & music fest Thursdays on First

our band at Thursdays on First

Dex and I competed at a local benefit show
 in the Egg & Spoon class

Bob performed with Kevin & Dianna, aka 12 Strings at ArtiGras

our band at the open mic night

Maddie's hair randomly changed colors

Whiskey tasting at Irish Fest

the view from our front porch still looks good

the camper died

BE opened for Patchouli when they came back in October

Madison performed performed in the play Aria de Capo this summer with our friend Ethan Savage

I took a trip to the Boundary Waters for a little rest and relaxation

hard to believe Maddie turned 17 this summer and
will be graduating with her associates degree next summer

we had our notorious Halloween party in the Barn Bar again this ear

yes, this is how i work

another view from the front porch - it never disappoints us

from the back pasture

these were works displayed at a large art show I helped put on in November

opossum break in in the barn caused a ruckus

the work is never done!

but it sure looks good when it is!

we visited granddaughter Riley, Bob's
daughter Kristi and her husband Wes in March

Tiki is still not too brave to go outside, unless the pig is with her

in the spring, the garden was bloomin'

my office, ever so changing,
hard to believe it was once a rabbit breeding room

some new raided beds in the garden - I seem to never stop adding on

we had a good harvest of strawberries this year

and tons of veggies

we got a couple new chicks for the flock

the job is never done

pig got a field trip out to the apple trees

Bob, Kevin and Dianna opening for Pat DiNizio from the Smithereens

I got the pleasure of having my image on the cover of our
local magazine Rochester Women

Maddie was on the cover of Exposed, twice

and I now have the privilege of being the
food photographer for Rochester Women mag. YEAH!