Some corn with your corn?

The Girl enjoyed her first session of 'Barn School' this morning. It seems that what we are paying handsomely for her to do is farm chores (mucking out and feeding animals) for three hours each day, thus saving the farm the trouble and expense of employing someone. It's fine by us, though, as she seemed to love every minute of it.

It's a very much nicer, more old-fashioned sort of farming than I've been reading about in a brilliant book, The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan. My friend had it with her yesterday at Jiminy Peak and I picked up it up to pass the time when I wasn't filing my knees - and got completely hooked.

It's a compelling horror story, made the more scary because it's true. It explains how the post-war US economy and population have become addicted to corn. There is corn-derived product in just about every processed food (all those mystery items in the lists of ingredients? They come from corn.) Corn is having a devastating effect on the environment not least because of all the fossil fuel (in making fertilizer, transportation and processing) involved in its production and use. And a devasting effect on the health of a large (in both senses) proportion of people here. And abroad.

Read the book - it'll make you shudder. You'll never eat the same again.

On the ropes

We spent the better part of the day at Jiminy Peak adventure park, where we met up with friends. The kids immediately threw themselves into the activities and really got some money's worth from the (quite expensive) day passes - but you can do that if you spend nine hours at a place.

Although the Boy got most fun from the mountain coaster and Alpine slide, his real achievement was on the ropes course. On first getting on it he was assailed by doubt and very nearly gave up there and then. But he suddenly made the decision to keep on and have a go anyway, and having overcome his fears stayed on for ages and ended up going back twice more over the course of our visit.

I just did a couple of rides. The mountain (roller) coaster is not my favourite thing and once was enough on that (the Boy managed fifteen descents!). But I gave the Alpine slide a couple of goes. Unfortunately, on the last trip down (with the Boy) we took a corner too fast and tipped the sled over, and I ended up stopping us using my bare knee as a brake - not to be recommended, and I now have less skin on my knee than I started out with.

Injuries notwithstanding, it was an excellent day out.

Beaver scouts

It rained all night and most of the day, though it cleared up late afternoon so that the Man and I were able to take a stroll around Five Rivers. At one point we saw a beaver cross the path ahead of us, though unfortunately it was gone too fast for us to take its picture so you'll have to take our word for it.

The children, meanwhile, have been out visiting friends. I'm sure they were both glad of the change of scene and company, having mostly been stuck at home with me all week - quite a come-down after the excitement of seeing friends-a-plenty in England. Many people we know have been away this last full week of August, but we hope to start catching up with them again in the week ahead.

Out to lunch

The children and I took ourselves into town on foot/scooter today. We checked out an eatery we hadn't tried before - a delightfully named 'luncheonette'.

A luncheonette is essentially a diner, but with more of a daytime vibe. This one was clearly very popular, with tables full and a gently buzzing atmosphere. And the food was great, a real cut above our usual local (which excels at ice-cream but not much else).

We felt suitably revived for the journey home. The kids then had a brief swim which was so refreshing they had to wrap themselves in blankets and sleeping bags to recover from it. The pool is getting itself topped up tonight by yet another torrential downpour.

Chilling

The endless vacation continues. With various fair trade and Fall Festival-related plans to work on, I'm quite eager now for school to start again - but on account of a late-falling Labor Day this year there are still two weeks to go. Even the Girl seems to be getting restless, and today we signed her up for a week of 'Barn School' at Indian Ladder Farms, starting next Monday.

Encouraging the feeling that it's about time for school, the weather has begun to cool. It was still lovely and sunny during the day today, but morning and evening have been almost chilly. A letter has arrived reminding us to book the guy to come and close the pool soon (before it starts filling up with fallen leaves).

Meanwhile, up in the Adirondacks they've had their first frost warning for the season. Ahhh - before we know it the outside temperature will be colder than the interior of a mall in midsummer.

Wood you believe it?

The Man writes...the day before we left for our vacation in England, some surveyors turned up to inspect a small wood almost across the road from us. Two weeks later the wood looks like this...

Our neighbours all think this is "great" as the trees were a bit untidy looking. I'm not so sure, but it will be interesting watching the new house take shape.

Meanwhile, in our absence a bumper crop of cucumbers has appeared almost out of nowhere. So we may be living off cucumber sandwiches for the next couple of weeks (cheese optional). Unless anyone has any other bright ideas?

Early days

Another early start today. I think the Boy was first up, at around 4:30am, soon followed by me and the Girl. The Man did better and managed to squeeze in an extra couple of hours asleep - but he did have more catching up to do than the rest of us.

It has been a muggy sort of day, and by late afternoon we could barely find the energy to drag ourselves out for a walk round the block. Unusually, it was the kids who suggested this activity - that couldn't possibly have been because they'd heard the distant tinkle of the ice-cream van, now could it?

Now we're here again I have a great long To Do list to attend to. I ticked a few items off yesterday (such as "buy new car tyre"). Today I've been on the phone and email trying to contact various people. Though I'm still slightly in a weird just-returned state of mind (did that trip to England really happen?), there should be enough going on in the next few weeks to distract me from it.