Thursday, October 8, 2020

Another Day, No Dollar


 Y'all. Somehow we must have missed a few eggs yesterday. These are the ones we gathered today. There are twenty in that bowl and none of them from little Violet or little Tweety which leaves thirteen hens. Twenty eggs from thirteen hens in one day? This is not possible. And let me add that Mr. Moon said there's another hen on the nest as we speak. How could we have missed that many eggs yesterday?


Earlier this afternoon when there were only sixteen in the bowl, I laid them out to see which ones appeared to be from the same hens. Only those three pairs at the top are, in my opinion, laid by the same lady. Some of the others may appear very similar but do not match any others exactly and trust me- each hen's eggs are completely unique to her whether of shape, color, size, "finish" (some are glossy, some matte, some almost rough), or markings like little freckles. 
It is quite obvious that either I am one of those people who have learned to be amused and fascinated by the smallest things or that I really just need to get a life. 
But in all honesty, I am amused and fascinated by eggs and they still thrill me after all these years, these perfectly shaped ovals of pure protein. The way they feel in the hand, the way they look in the nest and in the bowl and the way they look on the plate when they are cooked. 
They are magic to me. One of the best pragmatic miracles of all. 

So. What did I do today besides play with eggs? Well, I cleaned out the hen house because...shit happens. I got to talk to a friend on the phone whom I hardly ever talk to and it was intensely sweet. I washed all the bedding in the pack'n'play because I think that August and Levon are going to spend the night tomorrow! Hurray! We can move the little bed into our room and with August on "his" bed on the floor, all four of us can sleep close together. Levon has never slept away from both parents so this will be a new experience. I think he'll do fine. And of course August will be thrilled to be adopted by Mer and Bop. For a little while, at least. 

I made a new mask using a different technique for the ear loops. They are now adjustable which is a very good thing because the hardest part of masks for me has been getting the length of that elastic right. Too long and the mask is ineffective, too tight and it pulls on the ears and slips off. Mr. Moon just tried it on and gave me a thumbs up. So hurray for that! 

Now. This is for Steve Reed.  The other day when I mentioned losing my bobbin case into thin air, he commented that he had no idea what a bobbin case is. This is what it is:


And this is the actual bobbin:


For many of you, maybe most, this is not new information. But for those of you who do not sew, the bobbin is filled with thread via a clever mechanism of the machine, which in my case is a sixty-six year old Singer (same age as me) and then it fits into the case and the thread is pulled through a specific place and the tidy little package fits onto a spindle beneath the needle and...well, again- pragmatic magic occurs. Like the eggs, this sewing machine still manages to delight me every time I use it. Yesterday I used it to stitch up a seam in Mr. Moon's overalls and the old girl dealt with the canvas-like fabric with ease. "Old girl" being the Singer, not me, but I did okay too.

So that's life in Lloyd today. Basically. Pretty much. I did watch part of the debate last night but after awhile I again put down my crocheting and said, "I already know who I am voting for. This is bullshit," and walked away. Unfortunately I missed the fly. I thought Kamala did fine. I thought that the only thing Pence did which was even slightly impressive was that he framed his lies in complete sentences. I see that Trump refuses to debate Biden again in a virtual format. I guess he's trying to infect Joe Biden in hopes that he, because he doesn't have Trump's superior superman genes, will die of it. 

Who the hell knows what that man thinks? It is comforting to realize that I can't begin to comprehend how his mind works. I may be crazy but I ain't Donald Trump level crazy. 

One more picture from Cozumel because this is my blog and I love that island with all my heart. 


That was yesterday morning before the storm had entirely passed. The boats are called "pangas" and are fishing boats. The owners carried them up to the sidewalk beside the sea wall and tied them to the white balls you see that are part of the wall's design. Cozumelians are born with the sea in their veins and navigate it like mer people. Those boats represent what are probably two families' entire economic investments and are the source of their sustenance and livings. 

Thanks for indulging me. 

Oh! One more thing- how many of you actually come back to read my replies to your comments? I've quite curious about this. And don't feel guilty if you don't. 

Love...Ms. Moon

55 comments:

  1. although I am down to only one aged hen currently (and she no longer lays)....I always know which hen lays what kind of egg. Aside from shape, texture etc.....I love to lift a newly laid egg to my nose and inhale that smell.....it is divine. Am I weird or what? That Cozumel photo.....the colors are beyond description and I know from what you have told over the years....how strong and resourceful the people are. I am glad they have been spared huge damage. And.....yes, I love reading the comments and always do. As you say...it is a dialog (sp) from start to finish. Still waiting here for grand god daughter pics......I can't wait!
    Susan M

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    1. You are not weird! We who love The Egg are wise.
      If I have managed to portray the people of Cozumel half as beautifully as they really are, I will not even have done them service.
      They are spectacular humans. And their home is spectacular as well.
      Thanks for reading comments! Have you gotten those pictures yet?

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  2. i check back for comment answers...
    I think one of my older duck girls gave me an egg, because there was one with a slightly different hue and size, ever so slight... So I too do spend time studying the eggs and their marvelousness.

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    1. Even the slightest differences can tell the tale with eggs.

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  3. My Singer is about 125 years old (really!), and the bobbin and bobbin case look just like that. Classics, definitely.

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  4. Mary, I am an old creature of ingrained habit. I do the same thing almost every day, and on days I don't do it, I do nothing at all. And I do the same for every blog I read. The next time the blog comes up in my feed, first I go to the day before and read any comments. Then I go to today's blog.
    And last, I need to say how you impress me. You actually do comment and it is a conversation. I wish I could do that. I think. But often just figuring out how to say what I want to say leaves me stripped of what I know I said. Especially at the end of the day. That's much of what I love about your blog. It's really two for one. Yesterday and today. Today and tomorrow.

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    1. Oh, Joanne. Thank you. You have made me definitely feel as if answering comments is worthwhile. You are precious.

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  5. Mary I do the same thing Joanne does and she is right! Two for one.

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  6. Of course, I wondered if it was proper to reply to a comment or was that too much work for you....sigh. I worry about things a lot.

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    1. We are worry sisters, then.
      But I love comments. Trust me.

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  7. Yes, I come back and check for a reply. Sometimes I think it’s a bit narcicisstic of me, yet I still do it.

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    1. hahahah! Same for me. Like I feel so honored to get a reply :)

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    2. Well hell! If I'm going to answer them, I sure do want you to come back and read what I wrote! Otherwise it's rather pointless so please do!

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  8. I too have a Featherweight. It was my grandmothers and every time that I get it out I marvel at what a perfect little machine it is.

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    1. I know exactly how you feel. Even the sounds of the case opening and the various sounds the machine makes as you thread it and put the foot up and down are beautiful to me.

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  9. I don't know why all of a sudden my comments are coming through unknown. I am afraid to screw around with google because it will mess with my school email. Just not enough time to figure this out. Maybe one day I will retire and have time. Yes I go back and read responses.

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    1. Thank you, Claudia. And this time your name came through.

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  10. I like to see if my comments are answered or anything. I'm pretty nosy.

    Your shuttle is so modern! the sewing machine I grew up with dated back near the turn of the century, twentieth, that is, and had a boat shuttle. I loved it. I never ever jumped out, unlike the damn round shuttles on a later machine, and never rolled away if you dropped it. In fact that was a great old Singer. Just stiched backward and forward, all we needed, really. We used to make buttonholes by hand, and hemming, and that sort of finishing.

    I don't fancy taking care of chickens, after knowing my mom's when I was a little kid, but I do like collecting eggs and studying them. They're like magic.

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    1. It's good to be nosy! Thank you, Boud!
      My Singer has attachments for doing different things but the only one I ever use is a buttonhole maker and it's a Greist- an aftermarket thing. It works well. But yeah, no zig-zagging or anything like that. I'm not a fancy sewer and I do like hemming by hand.
      They are like magic, those eggs. How many chickens did your mama keep?

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    2. I was just about walking when I noticed them. Seemed like hundreds to a tiny kid, probably half a dozen. For wartime eggs when you could hardly find them in the shops.

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  11. the eggs are amazing, fancy ,little perfect packages of lunch. Hard boiled eggs have been used on little children's pressure points to stimulate healing, The warm egg in the shell- a comfort if nothing else. I would still watch "the Moons at Home" show and never miss an episode even if all you did was nap! And Yes, i do go back and read the comments, I also go back and read your posts - they are more than a bit of inspiration and i love to see the grandchildren over and over. I love you, Mary Moon!

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    1. Did not know that about pressure points and eggs. I'll have to see what I can find about that!
      Some of our naps would NOT BE AVAILABLE FOR VIEWING! Ha.
      I love you, Linda Sue. Your soul shines so brightly and as Ellen says, you art all the time.

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  12. I know that bobbin well. I have my Grandmother's Featherweight and I love it. I also have her old Singer Treadle. In fact I learned how to sew on that Treadle machine.

    I always come back to read comments. To me that is part of the fun and sharing part of blogging. That is why I always answer any comments on my blog - I love the communication and friendship!

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    1. I've never sewn on a Treadle but I'd love to try one for fun.
      Thanks for coming back to read replies and comments. Reader's comments can be the most amusing part of the whole deal.

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  13. Nearly always and the replies are appreciated.

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  14. When I write a comment on a blog I note down the name and the next day I always check to see if the poster has acknowledged it in any way. I love it when they do! It is connection made across the world. So, I now have " Moon" written on the sheet of paper beside the computer! I will be back tomorrow.You will be asleep( or at least in bed) now as I write, but I hope you have a lovely day when it comes.

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    1. Oh, Lord, Frances. Now I feel even MORE guilty for those days when I don't respond. Although sometimes it takes me more than a day. :)

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    2. Whoa, Frances! You are dedicated! Okay. Now I have even more reason to answer comments. Thank you.

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  15. "I cleaned out the hen house because...shit happens" Ha-ha! That's so clever Ms Moon. I frequently return to see if there's been a reply to my comment so rest assured that your responses are not in vain.

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    1. Yes. I am so very clever. I know. And sometimes...not so much. Thank you for coming back to read replies. I do the same with yours.

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  16. I only ever commented once...and you did not respond.

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    1. Oh, Sharon! I'm so sorry! It must have been one of my off days. Please try again.

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  17. Wow! That Cozumel picture is great. I wish I'd taken it. LOL

    I also love the eggs and the way you sorted them. They're like a natural artwork. Remember those commercials about "the incredible edible egg"?

    Thanks for explaining the bobbin. So it basically feeds the thread, right? Does it sit on top of the machine? I think I remember seeing one on my mom's machine (which she didn't use very often).

    Sometimes I read responses to my comments on other blogs, sometimes I don't. It's hit or miss. Usually if I ask a question I'll check back to see what was said. But I don't even always respond to comments on my own blog -- sometimes life gets in the way!

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    1. I know- that photo is remarkable. I love it. I might make it my desktop photo.
      No. The bobbin doesn't feed the thread. The spool of thread on top of the machine feeds the needle's thread. The bobbin sits under the machine where the needle goes down into a little hole where it picks up the bobbin thread. I bet you could google that. If you really want to. Ha!
      Sometimes, with comments, life absolutely does get in the way!

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  18. those eggs are so pretty. I'd like to have a few chickens for the eggs but I don't want all the work that goes with them. at least 3 of my neighbors have chickens but I get my yard eggs from one of the women at yoga.

    I do come back to see if you have replied but only because you often do. I only realized a little while back that Steve usually replies. I'm very bad at replying even though I changed my format so that the replying happens on the same page instead of a different window in an attempt to get myself to reply more. I'll try and do better.

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    1. Oh, you don't have to reply to comments. Some of us feel the urge or need, others say what they have to say in the post and that's plenty.
      And if you have a good source of yard eggs, then why bother with the chickens?

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  19. The eggs are beautiful! Yes, I check to see if you replied. No worries if you don't reply. I usually read your blog the next morning, so you are most likely on to other things.

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    1. I usually reply to comments right before I write a new post in the evening. That's how that works for me.

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  20. Well, that was interesting as I did not know that about eggs and now I do! I do always come back to check for a response if I make a comment. I like Frances' idea of writing the blog name down so she knows where she commented. Often I comment but then forget which blog it was! So now I learned something else today! Thanks for posting!

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    1. It's interesting to read other readers' comments too, I think! So sometimes I read those on blogs. One can learn quite a bit...

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  21. That is quite an egg haul. As for shit happens...well, I used to work in DC (and don't live all that far away). Trust me, that is almost all that happens there--certainly during the current administration.

    I do come back to check your responses. The least I can do for all the work you put into keeping up the blog.

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    1. I would so much rather deal with chicken shit than political shit. Trust me. It's cleaner shit. At least in my experience. And especially now.
      Thanks for coming back and checking!

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  22. Wow that sewing machine is 66 years old and still running sweet as a nut. That's impressive. I tend to come back the next day to read the comments because of the time difference, but yep, I usually check back in!

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    1. I do oil and lube the parts of the machine that require that. The handbook that came with it is so clear and the pictures are so good and it shows you exactly how to do it. It's just an all-around superior product.

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  23. Those old machines tend to be the most dependable, non?
    Love the picture from Cozumel. And the beautiful eggs.
    I always look back at the comments. I love that you respond.
    x's and O's N2
    (We'll see if this comment makes it through. They haven't been for a long time, but I am still out here reading. You are my favorite blogger.)

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    1. N2! I haven't seen you here in so long! I wonder why your comments haven't been coming through. That makes me so sad. And thank you for the very kind words. It's so good to see you again. At least, you know- this way.

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  24. I don’t comment often, but when I do, I always hope to find a response. I love reading your blog. Even though we’ve never met, and probably won’t, you’ve become someone I care about.

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    1. I really appreciate that Joy. So much. Thank you.

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  25. I adore your chicken and egg talk! I always come back to read your responses to comments. And adjustable mask loops are a game changer.

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    1. I got the mask loop idea off the internet, of course. It really is cool.
      I'm glad you like the chicken and egg talk because otherwise, you'd be mighty bored here. Thank you, Jill, for being here for so long.

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