On my mark, getting set....

This was the forecast this morning. Just LOOK at that long stretch of dry, even sunny weather! That means no excuses to collect fleece samples and start shearing. I want to start with the three younger preggie girls (Blaise doesn't have much wool and needs the insulation) but I already have two black hogget fleeces reserved – which is good, because I'll have five of them. It should also help the grass grow, and perk up the primroses I planted in a pot out front:

In the meantime, there's been some excitement in the bonus room. Yes, I took 'before' photos, but I'm going to wait to share them until there's more visible progress. In other words, the room is still a disaster . . . except for one little bit of organizational heaven. Remember my dream of an antique spool cabinet? After doing a little searching locally (nothing), I turned to the internet, specifically Facebook Marketplace. There I found one a little plainer than I had imagined, but I could afford it and it was within easy driving distance of my agility class, so I picked it up last Thursday night.

From its landing on the cluttered antique table that belonged to my maternal grandmother, to its gainful employment as wire-wrapping supplies and spindle storage:

It's perfect and I love it!

That's it for now from . . .

Enjoying this change

March 2

March 3

March 4

March 5

The first four days of March started with snow; now we're ALL enjoying a few days of sunny, dry weather before the clouds and rain return. This morning, the mud was even frozen firm for awhile – another nice, if very temporary, change!

A less welcome change is in the works. The property on which Rick's veterinary clinic sits recently sold to a developer who plans to bulldoze most of the buildings on the large multi-use commercial lot and open a huge U-Haul dealership. DH hates change so this is stressful times for him; we've been in the same building since he bought the practice in 1995. We need to work on the what/when/where/how now, as we'll only get a three-month eviction notice. On top of that we have to keep in mind that his office manager plans to retire within two years, while we will try to hang on for eight years (our retirement options maximize when Rick turns 70).

In two days, we'll witness change in Rick's immediate family. Rick's mother is getting married again, and his sister and her three adult children (as well as one's spouse and kids) will be here for the event. I'm scurrying about getting ready to feed the extended family as they are all flying in. They won't come here, though; Rick's nephew is terribly allergic to horses – including the hair and dander that inevitably make their way into our house. We'll make my MIL's house home base, since she will be on her honeymoon.

Meanwhile, my creative juices are still flowing. The wire wrapping/wire weaving class of last Sunday was just the inspiration I needed; I got an excellent review of wrapping and learned the beginnings of weaving. While the five other students worked on provided polished stones/gems, I chose shells from my beach-combing collection to complete two projects:

I've since ordered a couple more tools and some 28-gauge wire for weaving, and am thinking of ways to better organize my stash of objects, tools, and supplies. If I can see at a glance what I have to work with, it will jump-start the creative process. My dream is to acquire an antique spool cabinet like that in the internet photo below to contain both my spindles and my wire-wrapping stash, but for now I'm thinking about what I can do with the space and storage I already have in the upstairs bonus room. It's become a messy accumulation of fleeces in bags, fiber and yarn in bags and bins, horse and dog show ribbons, books (our overflowing library shelves are up there), old computer and other office equipment and the desks they are on, cages and supplies from pet birds long gone, an antique table, my loom, etc. Clearly, lots of stuff needs to go, which will leave room for other stuff to be put away; the possibilities are actually rather exciting. Want to help hold me accountable? I hereby make transforming the bonus room my One Big Thing of 2024 (Lord willing and the creek don't rise). Although I'm not sure I'm up to sharing its current condition, as soon as I post this I'm going to take photos so I can mark and celebrate my progress. Hmm; maybe I should commit to sharing a new photo each week showing proof of progress. What do you think?

That's it for now from . . .

March madness

I almost titled this post "Sloppy Spring." It's been wet and grey and cold for days; the ground (including the arena) is saturated and squishy; the covered chicken run alternates between a river, a lake, and a swampland. Ugh. Then yesterday afternoon the snow flurries started, and continued off and on through the night. Nothing stuck, though, until after 8:00 this morning. It's melted now (adding to the slop), but we could get more of the same over the next few nights/mornings. Stereotypical weather for lambing, but none of my girls are close to that yet; I know, because I felt them all up this morning. For some reason, poor Blaise was very lame in her right rear leg/hip. I suspect she got roughed up by someone. I fed her a couple crumbled molasses-rich horse cookies to boost her energy and will check on her again later.

We're very thankful to still have some firewood left to keep the house comfortable. Hay supplies are good, too. The ewes, of course, are getting regular pasture time; without that I would probably run out of sheep hay before this year's crop is in. Having them out as much as possible also keeps the Sheep Sheraton from getting disgusting as quickly, and can't help but contribute to the health of ewes and their eventual offspring. It's hard not to be impatient; I want to see what's 'cooking'!

I'll have to wait for these beauties, too; I'm not digging a hole in the mud to plant them yet. Gotta love Costco's prices – and plants that the deer leave alone! I must admit, though, that I've seen very few deer — and NO mice — in quite some time. Interesting, especially about the mice.

That's it for the first day of March from . . .

Udderly absent

Boop (and her lost twin) were born two years ago on March 4. Based on the lack of udder development, I don't think Boop or any of the other bred ewes will be lambing close to that date. Hopefully no one 'blossoms' quickly after that, as I don't think my MIL would be at all understanding of me begging out of photographing her wedding on the 8th. But like the weather and nearly everything else, que sera sera.

Speaking of blossoms, three mild, sunny days sprang some spring flowers. I also brought 'spring' inside, stuffing some cuttings from pruning the flowering plum into a vase and adding warm water. In the background, you can see the blooms on my wee orchid.

Last week I finally fulled my latest two rugs. They fluffed up wonderfully, being 100% wool. I like them both; time will tell if they get gifted or not. What to weave next? I wound all the remaining naturally-dyed yarn into balls to see what I have; the smaller pile on the left is finer gauge than the rest. I could use natural wool yarn to warp again, but am thinking about using black cotton yarn for more contrast, and also weaving a rug with the variated cotton. One of my weaving friends has convinced me to wind enough yarn to have a dummy warp; it sounds like a marvelous time-saving tool!

I've made progress spinning both my "Pink Grapefruit" and "Bay Breeze" into singles, but neither are likely to be finished by the end of the month. That's okay; there's no deadline. 😉

That's it for likely the last post of February from . . .