Boulderneigh

I'm an auntie!

2012-01-29T10:43:00.000-08:00

He was born on a Sabbath (yesterday), just like his mama. And I get to meet him this Thursday!

That's it for today from . . .

Frosty dawn

2012-01-28T14:46:00.001-08:00

Pregnant pause

2012-01-27T16:17:00.000-08:00

Petite Marta with her cute little "baby belly"

Ample Annabelle with her big "baby belly" (I'm expecting twins from her again)

Retired Inky. The old gal looked pretty uncomfortable this morning, so I gave her some Banamine before letting the girls+Bart out to bask and graze. She's moving better now.

Today we got TWO Speckled Sussex eggs! Maybe I can cautiously start dreaming of egg-laden recipes like bread pudding and biscotti again. Over the winter I've been mostly abstaining from using any eggs so I can supply my two most regular customers, using ground flax meal (1 T. in 3 T. water per egg) as a substitute in baking. Eggs are definitely a seasonal ingredient around here!

I stayed up last night until I got my Celaeno bound off.
Got it washed today, and it's blocking on the guest bed with a fan blowing on it in hopes of drying it in time to wear it to church tomorrow. This is another wonderful design of Romi's; her bottomless creativity amazes me! I like the yarn I used for this a lot, too. It's Dream in Color Starry in Romeo Blue.

My nephew is still taking his sweet time to arrive, much to my sister's discomfort. He can't hang out in her womb forever, though, so I'd better get some travel knitting lined up!

That's it for today from . . .

Triple-play day!

2012-01-26T21:49:00.000-08:00

FINALLY - a third hen has rejoined the work force! This is the first egg from someone other than Buffy and Muffy, the two Easter Eggers, in over a month.

A good day to dye

2012-01-26T11:20:00.000-08:00

Yesterday's Textiles class went great. Everything was "Show and Do," and the kids seemed fascinated with it all - stinky, greasy, raw wool from three different - and progressively softer - breeds; washing wool; clean wool; dyeing wool (roving); flick-carding clean locks. I actually ran out of time, so could only demonstrate hand cards and show them my drum carder while they took turns flicking, but I'd rather run out of time than have bored kids. I took my camera but only had time and thought to snap one picture while they were adding Kool-Aid to the crockpot (that's half the kids in the class).

Here's the resulting dye job:

The kids are really excited about using the brightly colored roving. I told them I'd have them spin a single of white and a single of dyed so they'd have a "barberpole" yarn when plied, and they loved that idea. I'll have to dye a couple more batches (in different colors) to have an ample supply for everyone, and still need to assemble and test spindles, so there's another busy week ahead.

At least we have sunshine (temporarily) and flowers. :-) I always forget about my little patch of snowdrops; I'm sure they were blooming when I tortured you with the photo of blooming sarcacocca. Oh well, this way I can prolong the torture!

P.S. I've turned off word verification for now after a reader told me Blogger was being difficult. Hopefully that helps.

That's it for today from . . .

Two cigars

2012-01-25T10:55:00.001-08:00

Lambs are due from these two exactly one month from today. (Heh. Ask my sister how babies respect due dates.) Annabelle (top) was bred to Cadbury, so that first-time father deserves a cigar. Petite little Marta (bottom) was bred to Bunker, another first-time father, so make that two cigars!

(All the sheep's names are hot links to their NASSA pedigree pages.)

Dreaming of the shepherd's "Christmas" at . . .

January showers bring January flowers

2012-01-24T13:07:00.000-08:00

Sarcacoca smells good, too. :-)

Rubbing it in at . . .

Preparing

2012-01-23T16:05:00.000-08:00

I've been a busy little fiber-bee, assembling materials for my next Textiles 101 class. I made a list (and am checking it thrice!) of all that I need to take Wednesday. I'm still trying to decide whether or not to take my Clemes and Clemes drumcarder; without it everything I need will fit in the handy-dandy "crate cart" that Rick got me for Christmas.

I'm taking raw (skirted) fleece so the students can experience washing some (and probably be grossed out - ha). I'm also taking washed fleece ready for them to flick and card, which I've been busy washing in small batches. (Above is a bit of natural-colored Shetland plus donated Border Leceister/RomneyXSuffolk). It's been a long time since I've washed fleece, and I'm actually enjoying it - and getting the itch to finish up various saved bits and fleeces I have laying around here. But next week we start spinning, so I have to finish assembling those spindles.

That's it for today from . . .

Bullet points

2012-01-20T10:33:00.000-08:00

• It is W.E.T. We are on a hill and safe; not everyone is.

• We had our carpets cleaned yesterday. NOT good weather or timing for it, but we had it done as a partial trade-out with one of Rick's clients. It was the first job they've had all month. Rick's business is only marginally better.

• My sister's baby is D.U.E. Been there; sympathize with that. Come out, come out, whoever you are!

• I am poised to fly to Texas to meet said baby. Again, not good timing for that. Why couldn't he have arrived a couple weeks before I started Textiles 101?

• I am not getting my minimum weekly requirement of saddle time. A little time on a little horse's bare back this morning helped - a little.

• I'm on the last chart of my Celaeno shawl/scarf. Navy yarn with silver strands is very difficult to photograph accurately.

• Two of my ewes are obviously expecting. One is not obvious. Not expecting?

• Sheep-cuddling is good for the soul. Make that souls. Yes, animals have souls.

That's it for today from . . .

Ready or not, sink or swim spin!

2012-01-18T20:57:00.000-08:00

Today was the first day of our homeschooling co-op's winter term. In a co-op, the parents are responsible for teaching all the classes. Among the classes I have taught so far are a high school cooking class, several high school figure drawing classes (I will be teaching another one next term by request), a class on horses, two "living history" classes, and a couple others as well. Teaching a fiber class of some sort has been rattling around in my brain for awhile now, and I finally decided to take the plunge this term. I've titled it "Textiles 101," and the 6th graders are my ~~guinea pigs~~ students.

Today I introduced our topic and gave a brief history of textiles, from the first mention of human coverings in Genesis through the Industrial Revolution to today. The next seven weeks will be spent learning "post-apocalyptic skills" (ha!) - scouring, dyeing, carding, spinning and plying wool, then card-weaving and finger-knitting with both their homespun and commercial yarn. I am crossing my fingers and toes that I can keep the kids busy and engaged. Some already know how to knit; one hyperactive boy is surprisingly enthused; several of the girls were grossed out when they learned about lanolin, of all things! (How will they react to raw wool?!?)

I think I have everything I need. Among my tools and stash I have a crockpot, electric teapot, Kool-Aid in various colors, hand-cards, a dog flicker brush, a drum carder, and white long-wool roving. My farrier's wife donated some skirted white fleece from her flock; my friends Duane and Jeannie at Santiam Shetlands donated some roving, commercial yarn, and all the prepped materials for spindles; and a local art gallery and frame shop donated mattboard with which to make card-looms. I have two adult helpers, one of whom spins and knits. I'll let you know how it goes!

That's it for now from . . .

Fireside

2012-01-17T12:09:00.000-08:00

Yesterday it was COLD in the house. I never could get a good fire going in our woodstove, and even with wool socks, long underwear, jeans, polarfleece pullover and heavy polarfleece jacket, I was uncomfortable all day. Rick got some drier wood when he got home and soon had the fire generating more heat. Watching my DH love on the dogs warmed my heart. :-)

A sure sign that things are heating up is the migration from the hearth to the couch!

Today it is raining on the snow, turning everything to sloppy slush and mud. But the house is warmer and the roads will be safer when we venture out later for Brian's violin lesson.

That's it for today from . . .

A little snow is good for the soul

2012-01-16T09:46:00.000-08:00

So pretty!

And apparently practical, too:

That's it for today from . . .

Glee

2012-01-15T08:18:00.001-08:00

It was beautiful when Rick and I did chores last night. We went to bed knowing that a certain boy would be excited to wake up to snow; sure enough, we were jolted out of a sound sleep this morning by "IT'S SNOWING!"

Off to fix a hot breakfast at . . .

Skippity-do-dah....

2012-01-13T17:34:00.000-08:00

This morning the ewe flock was in rare form. When I opened the fold to usher them into the wooded lot (on the left, below), only Marta and Annabeile cooperated; the rest bounced past the open gate and up the driveway. I shut the gate on Marta and Annabelle and managed to herd Bart, Bonny and Inky back into the fold, where I haltered them and led them to their proper place. After a merry romp, Bramble decided to throw in the towel and walked up to me. The last ewe standing on the wrong side of the fence?
~~Sweet~~ saucy Sarai!

She put on quite the rodeo before I finally managed to corner her in the fold, put a halter on her, and lead her, puffing, to join the other sheep.

So that was the AM entertainment. Here is this evening's show:
Our weather is scheduled to change, with a decent chance of measurable snowfall Sunday and/or Monday. I'm hoping it won't be too cold or slick, because I'm tentatively scheduled to go look at a couple different horses on Sunday!

That's it for today from . . .

Poems, prayers and promises

2012-01-12T09:30:00.000-08:00

Since last night, different picture poems have been repeating on my computers. I'm finally accomplishing a much-needed back-up of my MacBook (onto my old PowerMac, which has turned into my external hard drive) thanks to a handy little gadget my husband picked up. The screensaver on my MacBook is Beach, and the screensaver on my PowerMac is Forest. As I check in on the back-up progress, my eyes are always drawn to the soothing greens and mysterious depths of the Forest; the bright sun and blue of the Beach somehow jar my senses. Maybe if we were having our usual winter rainfall I'd react differently, but I really don't think so. The beach scenes cycling through the screensaver are those of a vacation destination, a place for leisure. I guess some people dream of laying around somewhere with nothing to do; after a very short time that would be a form of torture to me. This is as it should be; I don't find any evidence in the Bible or nature that God created us to be idle!

This morning during worship, Rick prayed for growth. I almost snorted with laughter, but kept my reaction to a silent smile. You see, things have been rough around here for awhile now. We are doing our best to trust in God and encourage one another, but it's not easy. But tough times are God's "growth medium"! When we desire growth, God doesn't just sprinkle us gently with a heavenly watering can, He sends wind - sometimes gale force winds! - to strengthen us. That is the only way we can become strong like the mighty trees of the forest, rather than remaining spindly greenhouse starts.

I am so very thankful that God is my Shepherd and my Fortress - and thankful for my sheep (and other blessings) that remind me of this daily.

That's it for now from . . .

Dog Fog-walking

2012-01-08T18:47:00.000-08:00

It's been a cold, grey day here, befitting my horseless mood. Finally, I kicked my rear out the door in the fading daylight to take Jackson on a brisk walk. It's hard to stay in a funk while exercising in the company of a good dog, surrounded by mysterious beauty!

From top: cherry orchard in fog; Aussie in the mist; the madrona tree whose trunk was featured in yesterday's post.

Off to knit a spell at . . .

Seen on a Sabbath stroll

2012-01-07T16:15:00.000-08:00

Enjoying the Creator's handiwork at . . .

scarysomething

2012-01-06T09:59:00.000-08:00

Last night Rick came in with a sheepish smile on his face and a sack in his hand. As he gave me the sack, he said it was for Christmas but he'd lost it in his truck. I pulled out a DVD case containing season one, volume one of "thirtysomething." Remember that show? Twentysomething years ago when we were twentysomethings, we enjoyed that series a lot. Only, I remember those thirtysomething actors looking so mature. ACK! When did thirtysomething start to look so YOUNG?!? I'm still shell-shocked. Not sure when I'll be able to bring myself to actually watch it....

But leave it to a dog to try and cheer you up. Zelda had this message for me this morning:

Feeling a bit aged at . . .

A flurry of FOs

2012-01-04T12:04:00.000-08:00

(Hey, for me two IS a flurry!)

Last week I knit up these bulky slipper socks. They were supposed to be for Brian, but ended up a bit too big. That's okay, the friend I have knit socks for will LOVE them.

Last night I finally bound off the second Duck of pair #2. They were my trip knitting just before Christmas and I zoomed along on them - and zoomed right past a point on the heel of the second one where I was supposed to join in the side toe stitches. The tinking that required was the equivalent of neuro-surgery for my middle-aged eyes, so they were put aside for awhile. Long enough to knit the slipper socks, above, and start Escargot, below.
The only reason Duck got finished before Escargot is that I ran out of the fuschia yarn, which was left over from a sweater I knit for a friend's daughter. I tracked down some more on Ravelry, which I can only hope is an exact match (the ball band is long gone). Otherwise I will have to rip out the whole thing, which would make me very sad and might scare off the toasty creative fiber fire I've been feeling lately. BUT. IF I cast on this today
(using silver-shot Dream in Color Starry instead of beads), it should fuel the fire, keeping it well stoked whatever happens with Escargot.

Then there's the Inky singles on my spindles I need to ply, and fiber itching to get on the miniSpinner, and another pair of slipper socks that WILL fit Brian, and, and . . . :-)

A room with a view!

2012-01-03T08:41:00.001-08:00

Last night we undecorated the Christmas tree and hauled it out onto the deck. This year I wasn't in a hurry to get the tree up, and didn't care to have it linger, either. I like having the French doors onto the deck accessible again, and this morning's sunrise is part of the reason!
The best view is from the deck, and I can once again open the door and capture the glory, unsullied by dirty windows.

Apparently the rams wanted more of a view, too. Recently the big boys - Bunker and Blake - have been remodeling the Ram-ada Inn. (We suspect Bunker is the main culprit.) So last night Rick moved in a horse panel to protect the cedar siding - and threatened them with sausage casings. Seriously. I can hopefully stall any decisions until lambs have hit the ground and shearing is over so I have a better idea of what the two as-yet-unproven boys can produce. After that, one or more will have to go. Let me know if you're interested; all three of the rams are too nice to eat! Good conformations, wonderful fleeces, respectful attitudes, polled genetics. Samples will be taken for current micron tests within a couple months.

Two of these beauties are available as well, but definitely not the one in front -
Sarai is not only a superb Shetland specimen, she's my sweetie.

Bramble (also available) strikes a stunning pose.

That's it for today from . . .

Happy-happy-joy-joy!

2012-01-01T11:49:00.000-08:00

I love starting out a new year with things that bring me joy, like happy sheep -

fun knitting projects -

being on the back of a "horse" -

and a perfect egg -

The new year dawned beautifully and the sheep were exuberant. The fact that this old girl -
was still with us this day made me very happy. Last night at choretime I found her flat out on her side and based on her unsteadiness once I got her up, I think she had been down for awhile. In fact, she fell down again while I was watching, so I gave her doses of Banamine and Nutri-Drench and moved her into the corner pen where she wouldn't be jostled by the other sheep. She immediately started eating, and this morning I found her standing and alert. Once out in the sheep lot, she headed to the hay bag while the rest popcorned around. Good for her. :-)

Getting on a horse is my one sacred New Year's tradition, so I saddled up Brian's pony for a few turns around the arena after doing chores this morning. Probably didn't make her New Year's, but she could benefit from some tuning up as well as conditioning (ALL our horses could). So until a new dressage partner enters my life, I will spend some time working with the ones we've got, to all our benefit.

Now I'm off to attend to laundry (please don't bother me with any superstitions), a church newsletter, and some more knitting. Happy, joy-full New Year, everyone!

That's it for now from . . .

So long, 2011; hello - Spring?!?

2011-12-31T16:37:00.000-08:00

This morning it was nice to wake up to a touch of frost art, if not frozen mud, after a week of rain. As I neared the barn to do chores, I noticed this fine fellow fly up into the tree:
And in the island flower bed, look what's poking through the dirt and leaves:
Daffodil shoots!

That's it for 2011 from . . .

Squish

2011-12-28T10:16:00.000-08:00

What is the soundtrack at your place today?

That's it for now from . . .

Do-it-yourselfers

2011-12-27T12:33:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we almost finished the basement ceiling drywall; all that remains is small piecework. Rick built some supports out of 2x4s that made the job a lot easier on our middle-aged selves. Next we can move on to laying masonry of some sort in the woodstove alcove. I have no doubts our masonry will look more professional than our drywall job! (Rick put himself through school as a mason, and we did the stonework on and in our house.)

In between helping with the drywall, I plied some spindle-spun singles I finished the night of Christmas, and cast on some bulky yarn slipper-socks for Brian. I knit 1 1/2 Duck feet during our AZ trip, but dropped everything fibery once we got home. With the arrival of Christmas, I suddenly wanted to bury myself in projects, a strange departure for this monogamous crafter. I am certain it is some sort of reaction to Russell's impending departure, a coping mechanism kicking in. After all, I can't spend all my time crying in this:

That's it for today from . . .

We cleaned house and did laundry...

2011-12-26T08:41:00.000-08:00

...how was YOUR Christmas?!?

We had an early morning flurry of gift-opening, followed by the usual post-gift clean-up. But Brian's main gift from us - a dresser and nightstand - necessitated a thorough decluttering, cleaning and rearranging of his bedroom. At first our boy acted like he was having the worst Christmas of his life, but once he had tackled the (considerable) mess that is a boy's room, he got excited about deciding where to put things and moving furniture around. We have used stacking plastic drawers and bins for his things since birth, so having real furniture is special. We hope he takes good care of it; a friend of ours made it for him and it is heirloom quality. (That's cherry with a golden oak stain.)

Of course, moving things around unearthed all sorts of hidden "treasures;" his laundry basket (and trash can) was soon overflowing. I decided to wash his linens as well, so I was nearly as busy in the laundry room as I was in the kitchen. (Rick oversaw Project Bedroom Transformation; whew.) Then, as I continued work in the kitchen (making Christmas dinner as well as my first attempt at pecan log rolls), Rick decided to start sheet-rocking the ceiling in our daylight basement!

At least the critters of Boulderneigh all enjoyed Christmas leisure. Brian got Jackson a new flying disk; Dozer was content with a Christmas morning snuggle in Rick's lap.
The chickens and sheep got green grass (until the rain made the sheep seek shelter under a tree). Friday, our neighbor just east (downhill) of us sent up apples for the horses' Christmas treat, so after chores on Christmas morning I handed them out. How did they like them? See (and hear) for yourself!

That's it for Christmas 2011 at . . .

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T04:00:00.000-08:00

A little treat from all the creatures great and small at Boulderneigh.

(click here)

Christmas Eve strollin'

2011-12-24T17:00:00.000-08:00

This afternoon we went for a walk (ever so much better for Rick's heart than stollen). The sky was glorious, the son growliest. Oh well, he survived. :-)

But we will focus on the peace and blessing of Christmas.
So, from me to you, click here.

Travelogue #4: Festive finale

2011-12-23T19:09:00.000-08:00

Besides various times of family togetherness, we enjoyed one more special outing before heading home to Oregon. Every year the Arizona Temple of Latter-Day Saints puts on a spectacular display of Christmas lights for the community. We spent a chilly evening walking around the grounds and taking in the sights.

Monday night found us home again in our own comfortable beds. Overnight company arrived Tuesday noon; needless to say they had to take us as we were since I was still scrambling to catch up on laundry and various other things that time away from home generates. We have made the final few preparations for Christmas. The weather continues to be unseasonably dry, with heavy frost blanketing the ground with white nearly every night and fog or sun during the day. Yesterday I snapped the photo below when I rode Russell down to get our mail. The Willamette Valley was socked in with a grey sea, Mt. Hood rising like a vocanic island in the distance.

Tonight the sunset below caught me by surprise; our east-facing property is more frequently blessed with sunrise shots.

City lights and soaring cactus are beautiful in their own way, but there's no place like home!

That's it for now from . . .

Travelogue #3: Sonoran sunset

2011-12-23T17:32:00.000-08:00

On Sabbath afternoon, following church, then dinner at the home of friends of my in-laws, we headed out to Pinnacle Peak Park to hike through the Sonoran desert. Both of my friends and their families were able to join us, swelling our total ranks to 20.

It was a gorgeous day, perfect for hiking, photography, and enjoying the handiwork of the Creator. In a short story I read once, rays of sunlight like those shown above were called "fingers of God." Very apropos.

As the sun dropped closer to the horizon, beams of golden sunlight slanted onto the hillside,
then blessed us with a perfect Sonoran sunset.
What a way to end a special Sabbath day!

One more travelogue to come, from . . .

Travelogue #2: Time travel

2011-12-22T12:45:00.000-08:00

Friday morning while my MIL went to pick up Rick's sister's family from the airport, Rick, Brian and I set out to renew our acquaintance with a lovely walking path/nature trail along the canal less than a block from my MIL's house. It is a lovely respite from the surrounding city life, and I availed myself of it three of the four mornings we were there.

Friday night the whole family put on the singspiration/vespers at my MIL's church. A long-time friend of mine moved from the NW to AZ just this summer, so in my Christmas letter I had invited her to the program. They arrived late, so as soon as it ended I headed to the back to give the sound tech my cordless mic and meet up with my friends. There, standing beside the sound booth was another old friend - one I've seen only a handful of times since she was the matron of honor at our wedding! Unbeknownst to me, she and her husband had moved to the area in October - and were now members of the very church we were in. And then it hit me. The friend I had invited and the friend who surprised me were in my wedding party, along with Rick's sister. And we were all in one place again for the first time in 27 1/2 years! Of course we got a group photo:

More to come, from . . .

Travelogue #1: Culture shock

2011-12-22T08:34:00.000-08:00

A week ago today we drove to the Portland airport where we boarded a plane for Phoenix, AZ. (Let me insert here that I love "our" airport - its design, color scheme, public art, shops.) As we walked to our gate, hauntingly melodic tones reached my ear. A young man perched on a chair was drawing the most beautiful sounds from a small cello, and he drew me in like a siren. I slowly walked past, then turned back for a flyer and a photo:
His music lingered in my mind as we waited at our gate - and I weakened. Back down the long hall I ran, and came back with a CD, From Silence. Listen to the second soundtrack on that album. I think you'll thank me. :-)

Our plane stopped in Vegas, and although we did not need to change planes, a small technical problem on board necessitated the deplaning of all passengers. Unfortunately. For while inside PDX is a calm and inviting space, the Vegas airport is full of this:
Yuck. Not a peaceful corner anywhere!

Rick's mom picked us up from the Phoenix airport and drove us through an alien landscape to her home in Mesa.
In her backyard are a cactus garden and citrus trees:
We brought home two boxes of delicious oranges from that tree!

At least the inside looked somewhat familiar:

More to come, from . . .

"Let us out!"

2011-12-19T06:48:00.000-08:00

Impatiently waiting for the shepherdess to return at . . .

"In Sheep's Clothing"

2011-12-16T03:53:00.000-08:00

Grab a cup of tea and sit down for a wonderful old ten-minute silent film from 1932 showing everything from "sheep to sweater."

Link to video

Things in my laundry room that make me smile

2011-12-14T14:17:00.000-08:00

My laundry room is a small, spare space between the garage and the rest of the house, with just enough room for a small washer and dryer (contractor screw-up) and the dogs' water dish and beds. A few years ago we had some plain oak wall cabinets installed, which made the space MUCH more practical. Still, it remained spartan.

The other day I visited a new home decor shop in town and found these cute little signs. They were very inexpensive and add a fun, decorative touch that makes me smile as I pass by. So did this:

(Even though it shows how desperately I need to scrub the walls!)

I'm not taking my laptop on this trip, but have scheduled a couple of posts for while I'm gone. Have a great weekend!

That's it for now from . . .

Crisis averted

2011-12-13T20:22:00.000-08:00

Travel knitting all set. I have enough yarn to do another pair of these (to go in the baby shower gift stash).

And in case I finish those, I found (and wound) the yarn I stashed to do this (no beads necessary since I'm using Dream In Color Starry).

I can sleep peacefully tonight at . . .

Panic

2011-12-13T10:36:00.000-08:00

Well, not panic, exactly. More like stress. Make that S.T.R.E.S.S. Forty-eight hours from now I will be sitting in an airplane waiting for take-off, and I don't have a travel knitting project. Not on the needles. Not off the needles but materials gathered. It's worse than that; I have no ideas and no inspiration! The lightning bolt better strike fast, because I have very little time to wind yarn and swatch before taking off. And trust me. I NEED knitting on this trip. It's my Prozac.

Trying not to hyperventilate at . . .

Not grey today

2011-12-12T14:09:00.000-08:00

It dawned frosty and clear, the fog gone. There is a brisk breeze, blowing in the predicted wet front no doubt. I'll have to bundle up to ride Russell!

The sheep are enjoying this weather:
Old Inky is still around, no worse than she was this summer. We'll keep her going for as long as she can get up and move around. That's her daughter Bramble in the ~~tree~~ sheep jungle gym above, and Marta and Sarai silhouetted beneath a tree at the top. Those two girls came from different Minnesota farms, but became friends on the trip to Oregon and have remained best buds.

That's it for today from . . .

My printer ate my Christmas letter!

2011-12-11T15:36:00.000-08:00

(or tried to)

I feel behind in getting out our Christmas greetings this year. The holiday season is zooming along; we've gone to all our usual Christmas parties already, and December 25 is just two short weeks away. This Thursday we fly to Arizona to celebrate early with Rick's family (he's on call for Christmas), and right after we get back my dad and his wife will be stopping by for a short visit. Before we know it, a new year will be on our doorstep - bam!

The chickens got clean sheets today, courtesy of my guys. Maybe the ladies will show their appreciation by laying more eggs! Today's production (above) is noteworthy; we've been getting an average of just one per day. We wouldn't be getting any if it weren't for Buffy and Muffy, our two Easter Eggers.

Right now Rick and Brian are out getting a load of oak firewood from one of Rick's clients. It has been cold, often grey, and unseasonably dry this month, great for getting a few extra outside tasks done. We are thankful to have plenty of wood; even with a fire going non-stop, the house is chilly and my hands and feet are often icy. That makes me want to huddle up, but I feel better (and warmer!) if I get busy and do something active - like ride my horse. The weather will turn wet again all too soon, so I'm riding whenever I can. Not just to take advantage of the weather, but to enjoy Russell while I can. He may very well be moving on to greener pastures before the end of the year. No! Not those greener pastures! But it's still hard. You can read more about that here.

That's it for today from . . .

Fashion Friday

2011-12-09T11:58:00.000-08:00

The trees have dropped their fall party frocks to the ground, where winter transforms them into glittering holiday gowns.

Hot pants or mini-skirt? Either way, I'm not convinced it's the best look for her.

Now Bart here is dressed for cold-weather comfort - and is working it for the camera! But he's obviously having trouble keeping his winter woollens neat and clean, so Browning shows off the solution:
Rocky Sheep Suits - they're the best!

That's it for today from . . .

Finally trimmed

2011-12-08T22:57:00.000-08:00

My 2011 Danbury Mint bulldog from my dear friend Debbie.

That's it for today from . . .

My BSF (best sheep friend)

2011-12-07T17:41:00.000-08:00

That would be WhitePine Sarai - although you can see that Marta vies for the title sometimes. ;-)

Sarai came all the way from Perham, MN to join my flock at the end of June, when Garrett (Ramsay Farms) drove out for Black Sheep Gathering. I almost bought Sarai as a lamb the previous year, but she was only eight weeks old or so when he made the long road trip in 2010. Then Garrett decided to keep her. When he offered her to me this summer, knowing I was looking to add a fine-fleeced ewe or two to my flock, I could scarcely believe it!

The fine fleece I was looking for came packaged with stellar conformation, typey Shetland characteristics and beautiful blue-grey katmoget coloring. Sarai quickly came to trust me, and today is the friendliest sheep in my flock. She was bred this fall to Whistlestop Bunker, and I am eagerly anticipating what they will produce for me.

It couldn't get any better - right? Wrong!

Garrett took fleece samples at spring shearing, but only recently sent them in. Yesterday he sent me Sarai's micron test results from her first shearing. Drum roll, please.... AFD: 23.9, SD 3.9, CV 16.5, CEM 6.7, 96.3 CF, 22.4 SF. Wow.

My bred ewes, from left to right: Annabelle (Whistlestop 0338), Kimberwood Marta (AFD 22.1!), and Sarai. Oh, what a wonderful lamb crop I am expecting in a few short months!

From the excited shepherdess at . . .

Several small things

2011-12-06T07:21:00.000-08:00

I would love to be the productive spinner and knitter that Denise is, churning out warm and wonderful (adult-sized!) sweaters from my own handspun, but I'm just not that fast (plus there's the whole homeschooling mother gig; heh). So just getting little projects completed tickles me, and I have a few to show you. Some of these have been completed for awhile, but I couldn't show them until they were gifted.

Remember that little blue/green/white hat I made and entered in the state fair? It is small, so once I learned my sister is expecting a boy, I decided it was meant for him, and set about creating some coordinating items out of the remaining yarn. Thus, a Baby Surprise Jacket and a pair of booties. They aren't sized the same so do not an ensemble make, but that's okay - right? Then, because Auntie Michelle lives in Oregon and my sister's husband is from Oregon (where we're renowned for our webbed feet ;-), I couldn't resist making the baby Duck feet. What a hoot that cute little pattern is!

While in Texas I also gave my mom the beaded Sakaki I knit for her birthday (on the right; the beaded scarf on the left is for my MIL for Christmas).

Just before we left on our trip, I cast on my trip-knitting project, a pair of socks for a friend's December 9 birthday. I gave her a pair last year (same yarn, different colorway), and her enthusiastic response made this year's gift a no-brainer. Here they are, cast off the Monday after we got back, pre-wash-and-block:

Instead of a simple 2x2 rib for the leg, this time I decided to use a pattern from my favorite sock book, even though I knew it would get mostly lost in the self-patterning yarn. Still, I like them!

I haven't cast on for anything new yet, although I think my next project will be one of Romi's designs using my Water Lilies yarn. Meanwhile, I've been spinning more of Inky's roving on my Jenkins Swan, to be plyed with the skinny singles I've already spun on my TTT travel spindle:

It was sooo tempting to take advantage of some great Cyber-Monday yarn deals, but I resisted by reminding myself of all the yarn I already have, and all the fiber waiting to be spun into more yarn. After all, like I said at the beginning, I only have so much time to spin and knit. My current stash will last me quite awhile!

Off to be with a birthday boy at . . .

Christmas colors

2011-12-05T11:01:00.000-08:00

To me, that means red, green and white, and nature seems to agree:
(LOVE the frost bokeh in the third photo; click to biggify) These frosty mornings and dry days are a holiday treat in and of themselves. It is SO nice to have dry weather for Christmas-tree cutting:
Since I had a dressage chapter Christmas party to go to yesterday afternoon, getting our tree cut and set up in its stand is as far as we got. Hopefully we can get it decorated tonight; a certain young lad is awfully anxious to get that done!

That's it for today from . . .

Frosty; toasty

2011-12-01T10:39:00.001-08:00

That's today. Ahhh.

This was last night:
AWESOME!

Happy December from . . .

Ewe's not fat...

2011-11-28T18:31:00.000-08:00

...ewe's fluffy! And frisky:

(Maybe they just needed to work off Thanksgiving dinner - ha!)

The sheep have been pent up for two weeks because of our trip, so they practically exploded when I let them out this afternoon (for a short time, so they didn't get too much lush grass). Well, the younger ones (Sarai, Marta, Bart and Bonny) did. Inky, Annabelle and Bramble were above such foolishness.
Bonny and Bart, the only "lambs" in today's "lamb races."

That's the fun for today at . . .

"After" photo, and a loss

2011-11-27T06:59:00.000-08:00

We hear our area got quite the rain and wind storm while we were away! Almost all the deciduous trees have been stripped of their leaves, and as I suspected, things around here looked quite different upon our return. We got back Friday night, so couldn't really appraise the extent of the change until Saturday morning.

After taking the above photo, I headed down to do chores, relishing the quiet, and the chance to catch up with the horses, sheep, barn cat and chickens - minus Morgan, our tamest hen. The person doing chores had called while we were in Texas to tell me she had died, and I was not surprised. One of our original four chicks, Morgan was blind in one eye and had been spending a lot more time on the roost this fall. This beautiful blue Easter Egger was our chicken ambassador, and shall be missed.

Our weather has been gentle with us since our return, but the rain is supposed to return with a vengeance by noon today. So we're off to rake leaves and sweep up fir needles while we can. Have a great day!

That's it for now from . . .

The best kind of Thanksgiving...

2011-11-24T13:56:00.000-08:00

...is shared with family.

Living off in Oregon, a long way from all our immediate family, makes such a celebration a rather rare occurrence for us. We are soaking up the opportunity to be here in Burleson, TX at my sister's house along with my folks. Hope I can come back after my sister's baby boy arrives! Today while we cooked, some of the menfolk put together this:
I think they are ready for him now. ;-)

Another "before" photo

2011-11-20T19:39:00.000-08:00

The photo in the previous post was taken last Tuesday. We had a windy, rainy day and night Wednesday, and by Thursday morning before we left, it looked like this -

The loss of leaves was far more dramatic down the south side of our property, where the big maples went from just turning color to mostly naked overnight, covering the lane that leads down to the barn. Unfortunately, there was no time to rake them off so that the client of Rick's who is doing our chores wouldn't be driving on them for over a week; they will be well mashed into the gravel by the time we get back.

That client came over Thursday morning to go over chores; these two lovely girls - littermates - came along for the ride:
(I've long had a weakness for typey little blue heelers.)

We are having a wonderful time down here in the Lone Star State, and I'm taking a boatload of photos. I'll probably put them in a Shutterfly album and put a link to it here. But of course I can't resist serving up a sampler of "only in Texas" snapshots; enjoy!
Where rest stops have restrooms and storm shelters!

Where longhorns are daily driven through town...

...and stand ready for photo opps.

Where you might think you're in Venice...

...but for the obvious Texas pride.

A pride forged in bloodshed; "Remember the Alamo!"

And yes, there has been some knitting:

That's it for now, a long way from . . .

"Before" photo

2011-11-16T17:37:00.001-08:00

This is what it looks like outside our garage door now (except everything is very, very wet at the moment). I'll post an "after" photo when we return.

There will likely be some posts between now and then. I have client jobs to work on, so am taking my laptop with us to Texas. And knitting, of course! I'm going to have lots of travel time to knit . . . I'd better add "wind yarn for second project" to my formidable "to-do-before-leaving" list. Off to tackle what I can in the few hours I have left!

That's it for now . . .

Preparing to leave

2011-11-15T14:27:00.000-08:00

When you have a bunch of animals, taking anything longer than a day trip involves a lot of preparation. I've been scrambling to get things ready to stay, get things ready to go - and take care of all the things that can't go or wait - like the deeply discounted produce I got at a stand that was closing for the season. (What was I thinking?!? Oh right. Stretching our food budget.)

Nevertheless, I am really looking forward to this trip. Thanks to Rick needing a certain number of continuing education hours annually to keep his veterinary license current and the annual American Association of Equine Practitioners convention being held in San Antonio this year, we're going to be able to spend Thanksgiving with my family! Not that San Antonio is close to Amarillo (where my folks live) or Dallas (near where my sister lives), but it's a WHOLE lot closer than Oregon. It's tough to have all our immediate family scattered in other states (AZ, NE, TX & WA); it makes the time we can be together that much more special.

Must dash to get Brian to his violin lesson; below are photos of a glorious tree on the campus of Linfield College, where Brian has a homeschoolers' P.E. class Tuesday mornings.

That's it for now from . . .

More autumn sheep pix

2011-11-14T13:06:00.001-08:00

The ewe flock has been stuffing themselves on fallen maple leaves lately.
I call this multi-trunked maple the "sheep playground structure."

Fall is definitely in free-fall. I should take some "before" photos prior to Thursday when we leave for Texas. When we return the day after Thanksgiving, things will look totally different around here!

That's it for today from . . .

May-December romance

2011-11-13T16:07:00.000-08:00

Love is in the air . . . .

Amorous old Inky is much too thin and arthritic to carry lambs again, so it's a good thing Bart's a wether (with over-active adrenal glands). Ignorance. Bliss.

No lambs were formed during the filming of this production.

That's it for today from . . .

I learned long-draw!

2011-11-11T16:43:00.000-08:00

Let it not be said that an old dog cannot learn new tricks.

A few weeks ago I posted about my loose ends and frayed nerves, to which several replied that I clearly needed to loosen up a little. (These friends diagnosed my problem from the looks of my Water Lilies singles, which apparently showed my slightly obsessive side.) One of those friends, a very prolific spinner and knitter, followed up her suggestion by sending me some batts she carded up just for me to play with and perhaps spin with long-draw, a technique I've never learned. So I sent out a cyber-plea to Laura for direction, and she responded by arriving on my doorstep last night to give me a spinning lesson!

Here are the batts sweet Denise sent me:

Here's Laura demonstrating long-draw using a bit of roving she brought along:
After practicing on the fiber Laura brought, I turned to Denise's batts:
Can you believe that I spun AND plied both batts in one evening?!? I can't! It was indeed very freeing and fun, and I look forward to playing with this technique more. THANK-YOU so much to those of you who pushed me out of my comfort zone and especially to Denise and Laura for enabling me with materials and instruction!

Since I won't be using my "art yarn" for my favorite Romi designs, today I picked up these delicious treats, thanks to a generous birthday discount offered by my LYS and a gift certificate to the same from my MIL:

The individual shots are truer in color; from top to bottom they are Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light in Composition Book Grey; Tosh Light in Fragrant; and Cascade Yarns Heritage Silk Paints. Squeee!

That's about it for my first half-century, from . . .

Sublime

2011-11-10T14:58:00.000-08:00

Believe it or not, it's been pretty much "dry" here lately, meaning water is not falling from the sky. There is moisture aplenty thanks to fog and dew and such, but fog is one of the things I love about autumn, along with vibrant colors splashed against both bright and deepest green.

Some of that green grows on rocks and tree trunks; this is a vignette from the wooded sheep lot (worth biggifying).

My Japanese maples come in various shapes, sizes and fall colors; I love them all!
The last photo was taken this afternoon. The weather today is exquisite! I'm off to ride my horse before company comes and daylight fades.

That's it for today from . . .

Wordless Wednesday

2011-11-09T07:16:00.000-08:00

My hard-workin' man

2011-11-07T12:14:00.001-08:00

I probably gave you the impression that I was out picking pears on Sunday, when in fact I did that last Friday. I scheduled a pear post for Sunday because I knew I'd be gone most of the day, thanks to my wonderful husband!

You see, this past weekend was the Oregon Dressage Society's Fall Festival (there's a post about it on my dressage blog; link at right). I don't often go to the Fall Festival because of time, cost and/or distance, combined with the fact that it isn't Rick's "thing" and we try to do things together. But this year, when Rick heard from someone else that Olympian Steffen Peters was going to the featured speaker at the Saturday night banquet and the featured instructor at the Sunday educational event, he asked me if I was going - and urged me to do so!

I needed no further encouragement, and was off doing horsey stuff with friends both Saturday night and Sunday. And when I got home late yesterday afternoon, I promptly changed clothes and tacked up Russell (thankful for cooperative weather) to solidify what I'd seen and heard.

So what were my guys doing all day yesterday? Fall cleaning! Rick loaded up our red truck with miscellaneous detritus for the dump, cleaned out and reorganized our "machine shed" so that all the equipment and vehicles can be under cover for the winter, and burned the brush pile. Brian helped his dad, and also drove the mower around sucking up leaves so they don't get ahead of us. As a result, the "barnyard" area looks so much better!

Just so you don't think I was a total slacker, I did make a four-loaf batch of bread last night. :-)

Full of appreciation at . . .

Bosc bounty

2011-11-06T09:38:00.000-08:00

From a place up the hill from us. I got permission to pick from this little Bosc pear tree several years ago, and got around to asking again this year. Since the owners don't pick them, SOMEone should! These are my mom's favorite variety of pears, so I'm hoping some will keep for a couple more weeks until we see my folks down in Texas.

I'll be packin' pears from . . .

Incongruous

2011-11-05T19:29:00.000-07:00

And I have friends who can't picture ME as a handspinner!

Spinning photo of the week from this blog post.

That's it for now from . . .

Camera vs. brain

2011-11-04T12:07:00.000-07:00

Morning light filtering through the woods never ceases to draw my eye - and often my camera. Since manmade cameras lack the wondrous sophistication of the divinely designed human brain, I am often frustrated in my attempts to capture what I see. Playing with the pictures in Preview can bring them closer to reality, but sometimes it's fun to move them further away. This morning's examples:

SOOC (straight out of camera)

"Gamma" increased

SOOC converted to black & white ("saturation" at its lowest setting)
"Saturation" at its lowest, "gamma" increased:

Following is another example of the camera's struggle to capture what the eye can easily register. I finished Navajo-plying my Waterlilies singles and skeined it off a couple nights ago. The depth of color Laura dyed into this BFL/silk fiber is glorious - and beyond the abilities of my camera to portray accurately. The following two photos of the plied yarn on the niddy-noddy in artificial light and of the skeined yarn in natural light come close, with the top photo capturing it best.
BTW; I LOVE the results of Navajo-plying! There's over 1000 yards of yumminess there - probably enough for two Romi shawlettes.

That's it for today from . . .

Photogenic Fall, part three

2011-11-03T16:19:00.001-07:00

What can I say? Had to drive to Newberg and back today, so more photo opps!

That's it for now from . . .

Photogenic Fall, part two

2011-11-03T12:45:00.001-07:00

That's it for now from . . .

Photogenic Fall, part one

2011-11-03T12:14:00.000-07:00

Autumn in the Willamette Valley is a shutterbug's paradise. Everywhere I turn, every time I drive somewhere, I see scenes that sate my senses. If I have time and a safe stopping spot (if in my car) I try to capture these scenes, but rarely do them justice. But it's always fun trying - and sharing!

The following are a few shots taken here and there over the last week or so. In my next post, I'll share (a lot of) photos I took yesterday while in town (McMinnville) for our homeschool co-op. Leaf-peeping is ever so much more fun than window-shopping. :-)

That's it for now from . . .

No room at the inn

2011-11-01T15:12:00.000-07:00

But at least they aren't doubling (or tripling!) up!

We had our first definite frost last night, which means my dahlias are probably toast. But the leaves will keep us in color for awhile longer, and of course we have the jewel-green grass and the beautifully-angled light to brighten up the atmosphere.

Inside, I've been working on Navajo-plying my Water Lilies singles from Laura when I can. The resulting yarn is dazzling me with its sparkling-rich color! I can't wait to finish this yarn so I can see it in a skein.

That's it for today from . . .

Birds of a feather...

2011-10-31T20:54:00.000-07:00

...and fleece together!

Sunday I gave a dressage lesson at a stable I'd never been to before. Driving down unfamiliar back roads to get there, I noticed a pasture full of sheep - and bird decoys. No, wait - those big white things are REAL birds! When I stopped to snap some photos, I noticed some other birds hitching rides on sheep. And it wasn't until I got home and looked at my pictures on my laptop that I realized there was a great blue heron out there, too. (As always, click to biggify and see more detail.)

Celebrating getting along at . . .

What price victory

2011-10-29T22:09:00.000-07:00

(Or, One not-so-tough farmgirl)

So this morning I was hurrying through chores so I could get ready for church. After opening the pop-door into the run for the hens, I noticed someone had laid an egg on the floor of the coop, so I shut the coop door behind me and went over to retrieve it. When I turned around, the door was drifting open and a Speckled Sussex was about to escape. I dove for her, knowing I did not have time to play chicken round-up. I succeeded in grabbing her in a move that would have made an NFL right tackle proud - my left shoulder crashing into the door frame and my right middle finger pile-driving into the ground, breaking the nail off deep into the nail bed. My shoulder was already turning color by the time I returned to the house. Tonight, it looks like this:

Country life has its hazards at . . .

One tough knitter

2011-10-28T13:14:00.000-07:00

As seen on the Yarn Harlot's blog. Best.Tatoo.EVER! Not that I'm the I'll-pay-you-to-stick-me-with-needles type. But seriously? I need this on a knitting bag!!!

Happy Friday from . . .

Ausome Awetumn (-;

2011-10-25T18:41:00.000-07:00

I read recently, somewhere, that this season has two names because it is the best season of the year. It can't just be called Fall; it's so awesome that it is also called Autumn. I like that!

We are enjoying a beautiful spell of clear, sunny weather, with warmer than average nights - until last night. I don't think we got down to freezing, but it was definitely nippier out there this morning than it has been. I'd better get all the green tomatoes picked. Last year we actually had tomatoes from our garden through the end of the year! No, they weren't the ambrosia that sun-ripened tomatoes are, but they were no worse than what are sold in stores.

Anyway, here are some of the things I find awesome about autumn:
Crisp, flavorful apples, fresh off the tree

Bunches of grapes bedecking vines

Fall colors

A full woodshed

Warm, homespun handknits

Evergreens? Well yes, a special one - our 2011 Christmas tree! Our neighbor said we could pick one out and mark it for later harvest so it isn't cut by the buyer who is coming. We picked a lovely, natural, TALL Noble fir - see the yellow plastic in the middle marking it? It is standing next to a 6' fence!

That's it for today from . . .

Speaking of the Captain and Tennille...

2011-10-23T11:40:00.000-07:00

Do that to me one more time....

Today I broke up my breeding groups as planned, but I almost did it Friday. After all, that was 19 days after I set them up, which should have spanned two breeding seasons after removing the CIDRs. Good thing I didn't, though, because guess who was getting some serious attention yesterday morning when I went out to do chores!
And it wasn't just posturing on Bunker's part. The date went on the calendar.

Now my rams are back in the Ram-ada Inn (from left: Cadbury, Bunker and Blake; wether Browning not shown) and my ewes are in the Sheep Sheraton (back to front: Marta, Sarai, Annabelle, retired Inky, wether Bart's rump; Bonny was nibbling on my camera case; Bramble not shown). Once everyone gets "flocked up" again, I can lead the ewe group to and from pasture.

I am so happy with my little flock of many colors. From them I have the potential for white, musket, grey, moorit and black sheep with or without the gulmoget and katmoget patterns. Modified colors and spots are in there genetically, too, although less likely to show up. Structures are excellent to good, tails are excellent to acceptable, wool grows on the poll of each one, and fleeces are soft and eminently spinnable with varying amounts of wave/crimp. All will be micron-tested next spring, and I expect them to fall within acceptable limits (back when our breed description still listed a micron range).

This morning's sheep shuffling prompted some coat changes and one pedicure. Here's Marta from the side and at mid-side before getting a size D coat:

Here's Cadbury from the side, at mid-side (dark) and at the flank (lighter) before getting a size E coat and a pedicure:
(Note: Marta & Cadbury were shorn late - July 11.)

Brian's wether Browning has gotten a LOT lighter with age-greying. This is his fleece at mid-side before getting covered with a G(!) coat:

Now to dream of lambs at . . .

Muskrat love

2011-10-23T10:03:00.001-07:00

Well, actually it's a nutria, but there were indeed two of them grazing together in this park
which we walked through last night at twilight to join friends at our favorite restaurant to celebrate my DH's 50th birthday. Here's to my muskrat man. (-:

Doin' in right in the evenin' at . . .

Details

2011-10-21T14:23:00.000-07:00

Blake's handsome, hornless head. I love his woolly "earcuffs"!

Sweet little bud among the "adult dahlia" flamboyance.

I love Buffy's "up-do." Makes me wonder if this Easter Egger has some exotic chicken genetics in her background.

Ruby ~~slippers~~ seeds.

You know I'm a sucker for wood grain (consider my spindles).

Purple berries on my purple beautyberry bush.

That's it for today from . . .

Glorious

2011-10-20T17:47:00.000-07:00

While Brian was in his Science Outreach class at George Fox University, I ran an errand. I had plenty of time, so I pulled over here and there to try and capture some of the flaming foliage around the town of Newberg. I could practically hear angels singing the Hallelujah Chorus in rhythm with the dancing leaves! Then I sat in my car and seamed up one of the two projects that needed it. Amazing what a little finish work and a lot of fall color does for the soul!

That's it for now from . . .

Blessings

2011-10-18T17:54:00.000-07:00

You, my dear, distant friends, are blessings! Some of you I have met; many I have not. But I consider all of you who visit and comment here on this little spot of the blogosphere to be friends - my blogpals. Your support, sympathy and suggestions in the comments of yesterday's post and via email have helped so much, as have a couple phone chats with my sister. She is 13 years younger than me so it's not like she has a clue about menopause, except what she remembers our mom going through when Mom was about my age. But like you, she gives me a sounding board and makes me feel sane again - at least temporarily. (-:

I have many blessings in my life and give thanks for them many times a day. That doesn't keep me from feeling like I'm mentally unraveling or wanting to scream sometimes, but it sure helps.

Behold four of today's blessings (besides you):

A beautifully warm, sunny day (probably the last time we'll see 70-something on the thermometer this year).
Firewood, free for the hauling and splitting.
A husband healthy enough to load all those logs by hand, alone. Over a year ago he suffered a heart attack, making me acutely aware that I cannot take his presence in our lives for granted. One blogpal lost her husband yesterday, and another blogpal's husband recently underwent his third surgery for brain cancer. My heart aches for them; I pray for them daily. I pray for my husband, too!
A healthy, intelligent son, all boy and noise-box that he is.

That's it for today from . . .

Loose ends

2011-10-17T10:58:00.000-07:00

Jackson in the car yesterday

Yesterday on a drive up to Washington to see family and back, I all but finished a secret knit. I don't mind seaming once I get started and have always been happy with my results, so why do I balk so at doing it? I still need to seam up my Lanesplitter skirt; NOW is the season to wear it!

I am at equally loose ends in the spinning department. My Water Lilies singles are still resting after my failed first attempt to N-ply it. So I've turned to my spindles. I've filled my travel Turkish with fine Inky singles; now I'm working on a thicker single with my Jenkins tulip Swan. Hopefully when plied the yarn will match the skein I did (using the same tools) during the Tour de Fleece.

Loose ends. Frayed nerves. I am feeling pressured by this life I live. Some of the pressure comes from STUFF; it is like an avalanche, threatening to overtake and bury me. We just brought back more STUFF on our Sunday drive; stuff that was my grandmother's that I couldn't just toss. Some of it is clothing; I wore a suit of hers to church Saturday (I brought that back in July after her funeral), and right now I'm wearing a maroon vest that was hers. But it's still more STUFF.

Some of the pressure comes from juggling so many responsibilities - home, farm, family, homeschooling, my clients, church, Rick's business. All those areas in my life are important to me, and yes, I know how to say "No." I am doing the bare minimum in many areas. But my ability to keep all the balls in the air seems to be slipping - perhaps because of menopause? I'm certainly "enjoying" many of the symptoms (NOT!). Sometimes I feel like I need to SCREAM - except that I have no noise tolerance. (Have I mentioned that Brian is a constant source of noise?)

And don't even get me started on politics, whether of countries, counties or organizations!

I think more exercise would improve my mental and emotional state, but when would I fit that in?

Can anyone recommend a good hermitage?

Okay, enough, from . . .

Just wondering

2011-10-14T18:05:00.000-07:00

Does that look like a satisfied ram and two pregnant ewes to you?

Well, there's no wondering about the season.
Greening grass, turning leaves, and perky pansies say it's fall!

That's it for today from . . .

Fall flowers

2011-10-12T23:18:00.000-07:00

Spring is the season best known for blooms, but my dahlias are all in bloom right now, providing a delightful interlude between summer sunshine and fall foliage!

Nice color from the deck pots, too!

That's it for now from . . .

Ten reasons why I love the Oregon Coast

2011-10-10T14:29:00.000-07:00

1) It's the perfect place for dog-walking - human-walking, too, for that matter!

2) There are always treasures to find.

I call this my "blue moon" rock.

3) Water is fun! (Note the arc of spray from Brian's foot, plus the dancing foam on the surf; biggifying recommended.)
Ditto.

4) The Oregon Coast has wild, rugged beauty, as well as smooth sands.

5) Rugged beauty = fascinating tidepools to explore.

6) There's no better place for flying kites.

Or at least trying to.

7) It has beautiful flora.

8) And fauna.

9) The skyscapes are incredible.

10) The ocean has a thousand faces (all of them beautiful).

Lucky (very blessed, actually) to live only an hour away at . . .

Lights (sun), camera (mine), action!

2011-10-09T17:19:00.001-07:00

Here are three short video clips to show how beautiful it was at the Oregon Coast yesterday. In the first one, Jackson demonstrates how excited he is to be at the beach. (You can hear him in the second video, too.) In the second one, Brian demonstrates how excited he is to be at the beach (with Jackson still doing the Aussie thing in the background). The third shows three generations (Rick, his mom, and our son) plus Dozer and Jackson.

Enjoying the best of Oregon . . .

Peek-a-boo

2011-10-09T11:50:00.000-07:00

This was the scene from our hill as I was leaving for church yesterday morning - Mt. Hood in bright sunshine showing through a break in high and low clouds. After church and lunch we headed for the coast with the dogs for a lovely afternoon on the beach. In other words, stayed tuned for a photo-heavy post!

More to come from . . .

The hay is always sweeter....

2011-10-07T15:59:00.000-07:00

All the sheep want to be somewhere else. The ladies in the wooded lot with Bunker want in the fold. The sheep in the fold want OUT, as does Annabelle in the Ram-ada Inn. Only Blake and Browning seem satisfied with their accommodations. In just a little over two weeks, we'll upset the fruit basket again....

This morning I finally took a few moments out of my hectic schedule to sit in the fold with Bart and the non-breeding girls. One of my goals during breeding season is to completely win Bart's heart. As a lamb he really wanted to be a pet, but I did not encourage that as I didn't know if he was destined to be a breeding ram or a fiber wether. By the time we wethered him, he had become a lot more cautious of people, although I can tell he still feels drawn to human attention. Before I took the above photo, all four of the sheep were lined up in front of me for pets and scritches - even old Inky, who has never been one to seek attention. It was a wonderful way to start the day!

That's it for now from . . .

Wordless Wednesday: Wet petal contest

2011-10-05T19:01:00.000-07:00

That's it for now from . . .

The comforter

2011-10-04T14:03:00.000-07:00

We just finished another two days of first Jackson, then Dozer being sick (they both seem fully recovered today). Last night when Rick got home he sat down on the laundry room floor to comfort Dozer, and of course Jackson was johnny-on-the-spot to get in on the loving. You gotta love a man like that. (-:

That's it for today from . . .

And then it was quiet

2011-10-03T14:27:00.000-07:00

This morning at choretime, I noticed that Bunker was treating Bramble very differently than the other two ewes in his breeding group. He was shadowing her like a cutting horse, blocking her every effort to try and be with the other ewes. Then he'd butt her, and would gladly have taken her head on but she wouldn't face him. So then he'd resort to side-bashing her like he would another ram. He stopped for a little while when I put out new hay, but then went back to hazing her. Concerned for her safety, I managed to get her out of the lot and put her in the fold with Inky and the lambs. Once that was done, both she and her niece Bonny stopped their yelling, and peace once again descended upon Boulderneigh. (insert sigh of relief here)

The circumstantial evidence (Bunker's actions, last year's failure to settle) leads me to believe that Bramble is not breedable. She doesn't act like a ram in any way, so I do not think she is a hermaphrodite; perhaps she is messed up because of the in utero hormonal influence of her male twin. I know, I know; some people don't believe "freemartins" occur in sheep. However, a quick Google search on the topic brought up a scientific article which states, "The biology of freemartin sheep has recently been studied in detail, and the condition may be increasing in prevalence with the introduction of high fecundity genes into flocks." I remember reading with surprise some time ago that historically, twinning was not a desirable trait on the Shetland Isles. Something to think about when we select for lines known to produce multiples over those that single!

In other non-news, my homespun two-color scarf is off the needles but still needs to be blocked. I have patterns and yarn for two other projects at the ready; I just need to pull out the appropriate needles so I have something to work on during my free period at our homeschool co-op and during Brian's weekly science class.

Speaking of the homeschool co-op, last week I was racking my brain over a class to teach. Parents are responsible for teaching at least two classes per three-term year; this term, like I did last spring, I am facilitating a WWII Living History class for the high-schoolers. I've taught Figure Drawing to high-schoolers three times, so feel like that needs a time-out for a year or two. The Hippology class I taught was fun, but I taught that to grades 3-6 and need to wait another year to have two suitable classes (grades 3 & 4) again (I won't teach it to Brian's class because he'll try to take over). I've toyed with teaching something related to fiber, but have been too intimidated to tackle that. Well, after discussing it with a couple other moms and sketching out the barest of outlines in my mind, I signed up for a winter term class for the 6th graders. EEEK! I plan to approach it with a short history on textiles, followed by a simple, hands-on "sheep to shawl" type of thing - taking them through the steps wool goes through from raw wool to end product. I don't know how involved to make it; I have access to fleece, of course, and have hand cards, combs (that belong to Laura), a drum-carder, a crockpot for dyeing with Kool-Aid, and figured I can make CD spindles for the kids and end up with them finger-knitting and/or finger-crocheting a trivet/potholder (and use Brian's simple peg loom to demonstrate weaving). The logistics scare me, though. I know it will take a lot of time and effort to haul the various materials and tools back and forth from home to class and back each week. How much time will it take to explain and demonstrate each step? Will the students have adequate time each week to practice what they learned? We have eight classes of 50 minutes each to do this. If you have any experience and/or great ideas, please ~~save~~ tell me!!!

That's it for today from . . .

The dating game

2011-10-02T18:09:00.000-07:00

Breeding season has started at Boulderneigh, and it's been nearly as noisy as weaning season! Bramble and Bonny have yelled the most over the splitting up of the ewe flock, but it's finally getting quieter as the light of day fades.

Last year I used CIDRs because I had a leased ram to use for a limited time. Others have re-used inserts successfully, so I decided to try that this year and see what happens. I will leave the ewes with their chosen partners for three weeks and forgo a back-up ram so lambs will arrive by late March. I don't know if I'll show next year (I didn't this year), but having lambs on the ground early is the only way to have them weaned in time for Black Sheep Gathering in June. Plus, I'll be able to go to our church's spring women's retreat in early April.

I have two breeding "groups" this year, having decided with Laura's help to let Blake sit this season out. I put Annabelle in the Ram-ada Inn with Cadbury; she seems less than thrilled with this arrangement. Could it be that Cadbury looks more like a Halloween character than Mr. Right?
Yep, sometime overnight he knocked his other scur cockeyed! Now that he has an outlet for all that testosterone, maybe he'll settle down.

My other three adult ewes - Bramble, Sarai and Marta - are with Annabelle's handsome hunk of a son Bunker. But first, Rick helped me get him all spiffed up for his big date by trimming his hooves and scurs. Then he posed for his online dating profile photo:
If you think he looks good in a suit, you should see him undressed. (-;
(Last rib, mid-side.) Oh yeah!

What are my hopes for these pairings? (Feel free to go blog-hopping at this point; the following is as much for my own records as anything. But I also welcome deposits on next spring's lamb crop!) :-)

White Annabelle carries solid, black and possibly moorit. I would love to find out for sure by getting at least one solid moorit lamb from her. Of course, having that moorit color in a fine, crimpy fleece of good length (4" minimum) on well-conformed, fully polled twins of finer bone and features than Annabelle would be my dream. Since both Annabelle and Cadbury have good conformations, good tails, correct earsets, poll and cheek wool, and crimpy fleeces with good length, I really do expect excellent quality from this pairing - even if the lambs end up being white, fully-horned rams.

Now for Bramble, Sarai and Marta. Since the latter two are yearlings and Bramble didn't take last year, I may only get two lambs out of this group, even though one of my goals is to learn if Bunker is homozygous for white. To achieve that goal, it would be ideal if all three settle and bear twins - although that would give me a LOT of lambs for my small operation! Whatever I get, I expect fleeces and structure to be awesome given the lambs' parentage. There is a short wish list, however. 1) For Bramble to have lambs with crimpier, softer fleece than their dam. 2) For Marta to have lambs with more size and typier tails than their dam. 3) For my sweet Sarai to have lambs with longer fleece than their dam. 4) Either fully polled or fully horned offspring from all (yeah, like THAT is going to happen - but a girl can dream!).

So for the next three weeks, I have FOUR groups of sheep to feed and water. Besides Annabelle and Cadbury in the Ram-ada Inn; Bunker and his ladies are in the wooded lot; Blake and Browning remain in the lot between the barn and arena; and Inky, Bonny and Bart are hangin' out in the Sheep Sheraton. I plan to use this time to pick over Bart's beautiful fleece so I can cover it up until shearing next spring. He is still for sale, but I might just have to call dibs on that fleece!

That's it for today from . . .

Sabbath sky

2011-10-01T16:29:00.000-07:00

Taken at . . .

Sticks redux

2011-09-30T12:41:00.001-07:00

A "spear" checked at the door. (I'm such a mean mom; I make Brian leave the long ones outside.)

Sticks in my "flower"bed. Left there by dogs or boy?

Dozer says, "There may be sticks everywhere, but I want THAT one."

There are LOTS of sticks in the wooded sheep lot.

"All the better to scratch with," says Bonny.

In the opposite direction (UP), clouds are moving in. Next week is supposed to be a wet one - just in time for breeding season. Cadbury is feeling it; he just knocked off most of one scur.

That's it for today from . . .

Webified

2011-09-29T21:26:00.001-07:00

Tina posted her results from this quiz on her blog, so of course I wanted to take the quiz, too. My results (click to biggify):

With the exception of those ugly little plastic monsters (What do they MEAN - or do I really want to know?), I love it!

That's it for now from . . .

Sticks and stones

2011-09-28T20:58:00.000-07:00

One of my first posts talked about the "boulder" in Boulderneigh. Well, today I'm here to talk about sticks. Because trees+boy+dog=sticks . . . EVERYwhere! I'm constantly walking by, over or around them outside, and moving them out of the way inside. I guess I shouldn't complain. They are free, and do a lot to keep Jackson and Brian occupied.

On Brian's bathroom floor

On the dining room table (amidst the clutter)

Installation just outside the arena

Could have named the place Stickneigh instead of. . .

One year ago today...

2011-09-27T10:57:00.000-07:00

...my 48-year-old husband had a heart attack that shocked the pants off everyone but me (and maybe both our moms). I am so very thankful he got a wake-up call instead of a curtain call; so thankful that he is still my husband, Brian's daddy, our provider. Here's to 27 more years of marriage!

That's it for today from . . .

Flamboyant bookends (blog ends?)

2011-09-26T11:37:00.000-07:00

On Sunday I noticed a late-season addition among the dahlia blooms. Such vibrancy; yellow and orange and fuschia, oh my!

Sunday evening Laura arrived to stay for the night after spending the weekend at the Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival. She said it had poured there, like last year only worse. I have such fond memories of OFFF on Sunday of last year in spite of the rain, for I got to meet Wanda for the first time (as did Laura) and bought my HansenCrafts miniSpinner. Yesterday was a fitting anniversary of those events; Laura bought her first Jenkins spindle at OFFF
(a Burmese rosewood Swan) and taught me a new technique (Navajo plying) on my mS! No photos of the latter yet, because I'm not done with my Water Lilies singles so we used some practice fiber.

Laura also helped me finalize my breeding groups so I can finish planning a major sheep shuffle next Sunday. Thanks, Laura!

Before she left, Laura showed me a hat her friend Correy purchased at OFFF. Talk about flamboyant! Laura plans to recreate it in natural-colored locks to match her hair. Hee!

That's it for today from . . .

A new record!

2011-09-25T21:43:00.000-07:00

Do you think they'll go for four at a time?

That's it for today from . . .

Summer lingers

2011-09-24T21:30:00.000-07:00

I see it in the solitary daylily amid the dry stalks

and in the bounty of garden vegetables and orchard fruits.
But as we put up produce and firewood

the light changes,

and fall finds a foothold in the foliage of the trees.

That's it for now from . . .

Gallery

2011-09-23T10:42:00.000-07:00

Some days I feel no photographic inspiration; other days I find it everywhere. This morning was one of the latter. First, I was drawn to the morning light on the side of Rick's swaybacked old cutting horse, Sammy.
My camera didn't see what my eyes saw, so I played with Preview's tools to recapture the image.

Then, when carrying hay to the pasture, I noticed how the dew had highlighted the tracks in the sand of the arena.
Was that made by a horse or a BIG wolf? (-:

Finally, I decided to ask Mr. Lumix to give me his best impression of a macro lens, using the blooms on my potted mint:
I think he did well! As always, click on any image to biggify.

That's it for today from . . .

Revolving sick ward

2011-09-22T12:35:00.002-07:00

Jackson is on day two or three of feeling fine; it is so good to have his "happy face" back! But this morning Dozer wouldn't eat and has thrown up quite a bit of foamy mucous. Good grief, Charlie Brown! Dozer got sick a week before Jackson did but quickly recovered after a dose of sub-Q fluids. Then Jackson got sick and didn't bounce back for a week and a half, even with sub-Q fluids and drugs. Now he's bouncing and Dozer is not. I guess I should be thankful that they haven't been sick at the same time!

Meanwhile, I have two big bags of very ripe pears sitting on my kitchen counter, courtesy of one of Rick's clients, and a bag of apples from one of our own trees (with more to pick). Brian is in the garden picking green beans and tomatoes as I type (he's avoiding violin practice), so I'll need to deal with those as well. I think I'll freeze the tomatoes until I get enough to fill a canner with tomatoes or condensed tomato soup, roast the green beans along with some beets from our garden, and can some apple+pear sauce. By the end of the day I'll have some happy chickens, a tasty homegrown supper, and more food in the pantry - if I get to work!

Happy last day of summer, from . . .

Still spinning

2011-09-21T13:00:00.000-07:00

Still working on my Water Lilies roving from Laura, in hopes of finishing it all in time for our Navajo-plying lesson (IF I can meet up with her for our Navajo-plying lesson!).

Wouldn't have a problem finishing it if I could spend as much time on it as the spider girls in the sheep fold do!

That's it for now from . . .

Best buds or beasty boys?

2011-09-20T09:09:00.000-07:00

This was Blake and Bunker several weeks ago:

This was Blake and Bunker last night:

It's a sure sign of fall - and approaching breeding season!

That's it for today from . . .

Apple blossom

2011-09-19T08:59:00.000-07:00

That's what this geranium variety is called, according to my husband's client who gave him the start. It has flourished in a pot on our deck, filling in with foliage and blooming profusely. I've never been all that fond of geraniums, but I must say that this one has charmed me. ❤

It was a working Sunday for our red Ford farm pick-up; it hauled two loads of oak rounds and two loads of third-cutting orchard grass hay. Rick did the majority of the heavy lifting, with some help on the wood from Brian and on the hay from me. He was grumbling about the number of sheep we have (a goodly amount of the third-cutting is for them), even though he and Brian claim the three unused horses that stand around eating and pooping and don't do a thing to offset their expenses. There, I've grumbled in return so now we're even. ☺

Jackson got sick over a week ago, presumably from eating junk and giving himself pancreatitis. After sub-Q fluids, he improved - then got worse again. After a few days on metronidazole, he improved - then got worse again. Yesterday he was the sickest he's been - all day, poor pup. I gave him a big dose of Pepto Bismol last night, which he hated, but this morning he is somewhat better.

That's it for now from . . .

Perspective

2011-09-18T10:46:00.000-07:00

When you look UP, it's summer:

When you look DOWN, it's fall:

When you look IN, it's wool!
That's so-soft Sarai's incredible crimp at last rib mid-side, taken when I changed her coat (to a D) the other day. She's my BSF (best sheep friend); we'll see if she still feels that way after tonight! The breeding girls will get CIDRs then, followed in two weeks by a short tryst with Bachelors 1, 2 or 3. Short trysts are a definite selling point for using CIDRs here; I have limited options for keeping many groups of sheep separate during our long, wet, muddy season - which usually begins around the start of breeding season. Now to pencil out who's going where and with whom for a few short days....

That's it for today from . . .

Sweet spinner

2011-09-16T15:33:00.000-07:00

One must always "pay" for a day off, and after the lovely beach ride, I had to put my nose on the grindstone before my guys returned Thursday night. Today, of course, it's back to the full-time job of "school teacher" on top of everything else, and no more quiet solitude. But I am glad to have my guys home - a Minnesota mountain of stinky, wet laundry notwithstanding. :-p

When Wanda met me here for our beach ride, she brought with her a spindle I had reserved.
I saw this one's twin on the Jenkins Ravelry forum and my heart melted over the precious symbolism of its carvings, reinforced by the use of olivewood for the arms. I emailed Wanda and told her I'd be in trouble if Ed made another one like that - and she told me he already had! I immediately spoke for it, and she brought it with her. It exceeds all my expectations in appearance and performance; now I must stop looking at all the pretties posted on the internet!

Speaking of pretties, my mini-Kleio (scarf instead of shawl) is coming along slowly:
I'm going to have a nice little selection of scarves/shawlettes to warm and accessorize with this winter!

That's it for now from . . .

Sometimes the best-laid plans...

2011-09-13T20:27:00.000-07:00

...WORK OUT!

After having to forego a picnic on the beach Sabbath, and coffee with a different girlfriend yesterday, I was getting a little worried about whether or not today's plans would happen. But hallelujah, a long anticipated beach ride with Wanda Jenkins came to pass! She arrived around 9:00, and after meeting the dogs and sheep we loaded up our stuff along with Russell and Breezy and headed down the road to Lincoln City.

It was a cool, grey day, with a mere whisper of a breeze. We wore light jackets and were comfortable. It's been several years since Russell and I have been to the beach and we don't know Breezy's history, so both horses were extremely reluctant to get anywhere near the water. The tide was coming in, though, so there was no firm sand to make the going easier for our mounts except at the water's edge. Eventually Russell was plodding along in the shallows, with Breezy following behind at Wanda's steady encouragement.

We played dualing cameras-

acted as horsey ambassadors -

and enjoyed watching a surprising number of these -
along with a seal and a couple of intrepid surfers.

It was a wonderful excursion, thanks in large part to Wanda's most pleasant company. Conversation was easy and uplifting, with lots of shared beliefs and experiences.

And just in case you were wondering, I also took delivery of a (yes, another) lovely Jenkins Turkish spindle. Photos later; my camera's battery died at the beach and is recharging. Now I must go and do the same (recharge, not die!).

That's my report on a wonderful day, from . . .