"My mother's idea of natural childbirth was giving birth without makeup." - Robin Williams

Today I learned that the U.S. entered WWI 100 years ago this Thursday. And as part of that move the draft was instituted via the Selective Service Act. Remember the draft? and the draft lottery during the Viet Nam war? My number was 36, but I was in the pastoral degree program by then, and ministerial students were exempt, 4D.
The author/expert on WWI I heard interviewed on NPR spoke about the technological advances during that war and said, "Our men road into battle on a horse and came home on a plane." I was surprised to learn the wristwatch became a common item during the war as part of the need to coordinate troop movements with armies too big for a vocal command or a flag signal.

I am in winter shape. Which is to say I'm not in any shape at all, and working all day doing chores has me feeling like an old man. I keep telling myself that I can work myself into shape.

One of the nice things about Baker Rd. is that I have plenty of options for doing that. I'm relocating the raised garden beds from the fenced area up above down to the area near the creek now free of trees. Too much shade up above, sun all day down below. But I have to do a lot of shoveling to create terraces on the slope for each bed, disassemble and re-assemble the boxes, and then fill them with the topsoil.

I stacked the split wood all around the goat pen. Now there's room in the woodshed because of the wood we burned through the winter, so it's time to move some of that 10 cords and re-stack it inside the woodshed, one wheel barrow load at a time.

I'm making a stand for the goats so I can trim hooves and do other similar tasks. It's similar to a milking stand (shown here) except these goats don't get milked, they get eaten. But trimming hooves happens every 3 or 4 months and a female needs to be prepped a week or so before giving birth. Both require the goat to be held in place on a table. That's a "head gate" that closes around their neck, but I'm doing something a little different, inspired by what I saw at Marta's. Except her husband David, who has mad skills doing pretty much anything, welded up this really trick head anchor thing. I don't know how to weld but I am pretty good at coming up with MacGyver-esque solutions.
Pics to come when it's finished.

Then there's Sally. Plenty of tasks to do there. Tomorrow UPS will deliver a 33 lb. box of parts including a new gas tank with all the fittings and a sending unit, plus some parts for rehabbing the interior. I rec'd a new seat cover for the passenger seat with the car (the driver's seat had already been done), and new rear leaf springs should show up soon.

Which is to say, if you're bored I've got plenty of work for you here. I'll give you your choice of tasks and tools - shovel, steel rake, hammer. wheel barrow, wrenches.... And we've got BACON.

You should read this brief story on USAToday.com. Then we should both read that book, which comes out tomorrow. I'm getting it for my Kindle.
I especially like, "Don't ring the bell."