Tuesday, August 08, 2017

Black and blue

Our new blue girls
 are fitting into the flock of black ladies
about as well as can be expected. They stick together and there doesn't seem to be much hen-pecking.

In watching the flock since the Wyandottes arrived, it has finally dawned on me that one of the olive-eggers isn't just "unkempt."

I do believe she has a frizzle gene causing her frumpy-feathers look; it's also evident in her lightly-feathered shanks.

I've been skirting and weighing fleeces as requests come in; this week I did Bing's 2016 and 2017 fleeces. Both weighed more than the interested party wanted so are still available; I must say it's tempting to have them processed together into roving for myself! Such lovely crimp, length, and color....

When I was at work Monday, Rick called to say we got the green flag to pick blueberries at his client's commercial farm. He and Brian grabbed all the containers they could find at the clinic and headed out; I joined them when I got off work . . . in the middle of the afternoon. Ugh; after a bit of a break from last week's record-breaking heat, we are now hot AND muggy. My work clothes were soaked with sweat within minutes. But we got our year's supply picked – then I spent hours last night and this morning cleaning, sorting and freezing them.

There are a few other colors showing up, too. I picked our first non-cherry tomato the other day, and this morning I picked a bucket full of green beans.

The bumblebees are really working my lavender:

and Rick and I have been working on our respective hobbies:



(Pictured is one little dish. and one big bowl, unstained, in various poses with my smallest Jenkins Turkish spindle, a Kuchulu.)

When I dumped the horses' stock tank to scrub it out and refill it, it was clear the raccoons have been working – or playing:

And I've even worked my asthmatic horse a wee little bit! Sunsets are always prettier from the back of a good horse.  ;-)

That's it for today from . . .

6 comments:

Goatldi said...

Love the Frizzel in the olive egger woodpile! Blueberry envy too. Even though I got a bumper crop from my four plants not nearly enough for a years worth. Our hot temps are going, going, going gone also. It is so nice to have good sleeping weather back at night.

Susan said...

Love that frizzle gene! I bet the raccoons are enjoying a bath in the heat...I think we mistakenly have your weather. Would you like it back? While I like cool evenings, I like ripe tomatoes even more.

Florida Farm Girl said...

Oh, that's a lotta blueberries!! Last time I put them up, I got so sick of looking at blueberries I was ready to throw all of them out the door. But they are SO good come winter time. Congrats on getting the year's supply all at one time.

Mokihana said...

What a lovely post! Love the frizzy hen, and those yummy blueberries, and the bumblebees... and the fiber...

Thanks for starting off my morning with so much pretty!

Theresa said...

Lovely bowls and spinning. In fact that goes for fleeces and sunsets on horseback too.
I need to put up some more blueberry jam or maybe a pancake syrup? for winter.

Unknown said...

I bet the raccoons are enjoying a bath in the heat...I think we mistakenly have your weather. thanks for sharing!

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