You know its Fall in Ireland When....
Well, today was a much less stressful day here at Kilmurry House. My shoulder told me it was time to take a break from apple pealing and tablet weaving. Since I had a lot of writing to do anyway, I thought I'd spend part of the day at the computer. But first I needed to do things like feed some of the critters and take my attempts at a "daily" walk.
First discovery, its Monday and we are out of animal food. Husband is at the forge and not going anywhere. The house-mate (aka The Lizard) is doing a 12 hour volunteer sift as an ambulance driver. Which mostly means he gets to go to events that sound really exciting, in the case "the National Plowing Championships," but he see's almost none of them. I gather he gets to sit with all the rest of the volunteer and professional crews, listening to local radio stations and being trying to look ready in case they get called. While his our friend, "Merlin" who got him started doing this, can entertain us for hours with all the emergencies he has dealt with, The Lizard so far hasn't even gotten to drive the ambulance; with the exception of too and from the events. In a perfect world, he would not wish for any accidents to occur, but being that he is human I think he hopes that sooner or later he may really get to do something. This, or any other time, could be the day. And if it happens his 12 hour shift could turn into a 20 hour one. Either way, he's not going to be driving to the feed store.
Since I don't drive, that calls for "Plan B" or "Checking out the Freezer." First, I determine we have enough dog food to feed all the cats for as much as two days or two dogs for one meal. So, the last of the dry dog food goes to the cats. Then, freezer reveals, YES! Our Karma is improving today, we have last bag of the Dreaded Venison Stew Leftovers alternately know as "Food Rejected Even by the Lizard Who Eats Almost Anything." This stew was originally made for a re-enactment meeting, held here at the house. Dinner was pushed very late, and we discovered that all stews do not in fact improve with age. While marginally edible the first time, frozen it became a mushy mass of unidentifiable vegetables, grey deer meet and tasted just a bit like burned pot scrapings. Of course, by the time we found this out, we had about five 1/2 gallon bags of the stuff in the freezer. Interestingly enough, we have discovered that although people avoid this stew like bubonic plague, our dogs think it is the greatest treat in the world. So, tonight they get stew...as soon as it thaws.
Or at least, they were supposed to only get stew. Looking out the back door (while discovering that The Lizard's laundry includes a shirt that look suspiciously like mine and in fact includes a tag that says "women's sized extra-large," I see dog running about inside the large conservatory. The one where the doors are supposed to be closed all the time, in order for the cats to eat in safety. By the time I can grab my shawl and get outside, she has already had breakfast with a twist of lunch as well. Guess she will get less stew, then her brother who lives in a secured run. Cat's still have enough food for one day. I'll deal with tomorrow when we get there. Chickens still have food in their feeder, so I don't have to start tearing up bread just yet. Horses are still eating grass and I'm not able to chuck hay over the fence in any case.
So, critters taken care of, I decide to try and take my walk. I gather my shawl and walking stick, prepare to be leaped upon by joyful large dog and avoid cats hissing at said dog when I discover that Summer is really over. There is something missing from outside today. Instead of even a hit of sunlight, or what they call "soft" rain (with sun shinning through in places, the sky is now that heavy, dull, grey color. Yes, that oppressive, dark, endless, dank look that you get in Ireland from around October until May of most years. We have had one day like this already, the one when the power was out and I had to read by candle light at 2pm. But then things faded back to normal over cast with some light through the clouds. But today its back and cloudier, gloomier and as oppressive as ever. Now I'm used to dark, dank weather. Living the Bay Area of California will do that to you. But the rainy season there is only about three months of the year. We get it off and on for about six months (January and February its almost always "on"). Plus the occasional year when it never goes away. We've had two "years without a Summer" since we've been here. Both were great if you were a bog plant, but not so great if you like to walk outside without sinking into the peaty mud.
I decide to take my walk anyway, thinking that moving about will cheer me up. I stop for a moment to watch husband hammering on his forge and note that the red embers seem to be the only color in the day. Dog at this point jumps and dances to get going, so I walk on down the path. Followed by a Main Coon cat going "grrrrrr" at the dog. Stepping aside to get out of firing range, I notice that even the blackberry bushes (which I have not had time to attack with a bucket this year) look droopy. Their color fading into the bush, the heavy darkness making it hard to believe that its three in the afternoon. I look up and realize that, something has eaten the sun and it may not be back for awhile. At least not today, probably not tomorrow and maybe not all week. I begin to understand why people in Sweden (where we lived for a year and a half) use so many candles. Because they get almost exactly the same weather, but only for about three hours a day. That is because the "day" is only three hours long....less if you are farther north. I used to ask my husband why the sun even bothered to come up? He just looked at me with a worried expresion...
But, at least in Sweden, you have the comfort and momentary excitement of snow. Now, I'm much happier watching snow, from inside the house preferably near a nice, roaring fire. But my husband, loves to be out in it. Even I would much rather tromp through newly fallen frozen water, than slog through mud laden pools of cold wet stuff. Really cold wet stuff, almost, but not quite cold enough to make snow. Once or twice a year here, we may get real snow, but it mostly melts before afternoon. You have to wake up early to see the Icelandic horses rolling about in it, our Norwegian Elk Hound catching flakes and the cat's disgustedly shaking their paws and looking grumpy. By late afternoon, its usually melted. Though we once had snow for three days; and made the most of it.
For now, I think its going to be dark and rain. So I guess I take a clue from our friends in Sweden. I know I've got some 100 hour candles stashed around here somewhere. If I burn enough of them, maybe it will bring the Sun back? Maybe at least by May 2005...
Disaster Cat...sitting at her computer in the Dark...