Final Christmas preparations

Yesterday Brian decided our house didn't look festive enough, so he worked on adding more decorations. Apparently, Mr. Jack Frost thought the same thing, and added his delicate touch outside last night.

The final Christmas gift I have to deliver is blocking and drying as I type. I'm tied to the place today waiting for the UPS man to arrive (sometime between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. the recorded message said - sheesh!), so will probably deliver this and the skein of alpaca yarn tomorrow. Dear friends invited us to Christmas dinner at their place, so I will also assemble "Green & White Lasagne" (Brian's requested entree) and Rick's favorite Cranberry/Strawberry Jello Salad to contribute. Need to come up with something special for Christmas Eve supper, and make at least a couple recipes of holiday treats; I'm leaning towards Krumkake and Quick Toffee (the recipe with saltines). Might sneak some time in there somewhere to wind the longwool and cast on this hat, and start a new fiber on Louie II, too.

That's it for now at . . .

Wet wool

Yesterday morning I took pity on a miserable-looking Braveheart. He was trying to seek shelter from the cold, driving rain under a scrubby clump of hazelnut saplings, so I decided put him back in his old corner pen in the fold. When I approached him with a halter, I heard him grind his teeth, never a good thing in sheep. His spirits revived miraculously when in close proximity to other sheep, though. So much so that THIS is what "welcomed" me at choretime last night!All is reinforced now, though, so Braveheart can be dry AND chaste.

In other "wet wool" news, yesterday I plied the last bit of alpaca and wound off it off into a skein. Then it and the white longwool from my spindle got baths, and are hanging in the guest bathroom to dry.Since the temperature dropped last night and we started up a wood fire again, they should dry quickly. I would like to deliver the alpaca by Christmas, and knit a hat with the long wool by January 14.

With that temperature drop I mentioned, some of the rain turned to slushy snow. I'm afraid what greeted me this morning is as close as we will get to a white Christmas:I'm not complaining, though. I like our Willamette Valley winters!

That's it for now from . . .

The rest of the weekend

My first real indulging of the 2009 holiday season happened Saturday night. Some friends of ours hold an annual Christmas open house, and there are always loads of gourmet goodies, savory and sweet.

Sunday I loaded up Blackberry, took Dozer along for company, and headed north. Franna met me and picked up Blackberry (who is now happily courting five Shetland ladies), and I spent some time with my dad and his wife (and, of course, their little companion Fritz). The weather was mostly rainy, but there were some beautiful breaks.
Got home in time to tuck Brian into bed. Even though hours of the day were spent driving, it was really very pleasant with the radio on and a snugglebug dog to talk to and pet. It was also good to see Franna and my family.

That's it for now from . . .

Sheep prayers

Do sheep pray? And if they do, would they pray about feeling picked on, or left out, or just not feeling as special as the other sheep? Perhaps they do, and Browning's prayers were heard.

Last night we got a call from the lady who teaches one of the kids' study classes at our church. They are currently studying the sacrificial system of the Old Testament and how it pointed forward to Christ's sacrifice for our sins. The teacher planned to use a toy sheep to help the kids imagine what it would be like to have to take the life of an innocent animal (or watch your father do it for you) when you had sinned against God. She called a mutual friend last night looking for a toy sheep, and learned that I have real sheep - and how much better would the object lesson be with a living, breathing animal?

So this morning after chores, instead of dressing in my "best" as befits worshipping the King, I donned slacks and practical shoes, put Browning in the trailer, and took him to church. I chose him because he is probably the calmest of my sheep around strangers, leads well, and has the biggest horns (kids have stereotypes in mind, after all).

He didn't disappoint me. The kids (and I think we ended up with ALL of them, not just the one teacher's class) loved him, and I think he truly enjoyed the attention – AND the break from being a ram punching bag companion!
Happy Sabbath from . . .