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• Aug. 4, 2009
Lucky or Unlucky??

It seems like much of the past 2 weeks revolved around my washing machine - waiting for repairmen, going to the laundramat, waiting for parts, or calling about broken parts (and told the part was either on the delivery truck, on back order indefinitely, or "in research").  I'd estimate I spent about 10-12 hours alone on the phone trying to resolve this but finally today we seem to have a functioning machine!!    While it's pretty cool to get 10 loads of laundry done all at once at the laundramat, pumping a million quarters into their machines and hauling all those clothes in and out of the house was NOT.    

   wiener dogs don't worry much about washing machines

So my nice front-loader blew it's main bearing - the repairman said he's never seen a machine this young do that- makes me feel pretty unlucky until I remember that if it happened a mere three weeks later, it wouldn't have been under warranty.  And
apparently the repair would have cost $1250 -ha!   Can you imagine??

While not dealing with washing machine DRAMA, I'm STILL working on "Girasole."   Looks like I'll have enough yarn to finish all the repeats and do the knitted-on edging - lucky!!!   Unlucky-  I spent most of last weekend's available knitting time repairing the damage Emma did to it.  That dog really has a thing for yarn, although she disdains cheap kitchen cotton and goes right for the good wool!


The garden is absolutely exploding.   Beets have been canned, and we've made lots of bread &  pickles -  my first time ever to try that.   A good way to use up lots of cucumbers and some onions as well.    We've frozen lots of green peppers, and next we really need to freeze green beans.    We've been enjoying some tomatoes, but soon the bulk of them will be ready and I'll need to do some freezing there as well.  I think I mentioned that the farmer has almost 50 tomato plants??  Oh boy.


I feel like the summer has flashed right by me - who can believe it's August??  We have another fair this weekend to take the sheep to - this one's only for 2 days though.  In a couple weeks we'll go on vacation (yay!!!) and it dawned on me recently that when we get back, it's about time to start school.  Whoa.  Time to organize my thoughts, clear out the bookshelves, and start ordering curriculum.    I really think I could use an extra month of summer this year.....anybody else??

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• Jul. 23, 2009
Over for another year

The fair finished up this past Monday.  The FFA shows and the 4-H auction take place that day, then it's time to help clean up and haul everything home.   I think this was one of our busiest fairs ever, and we were really tired by the end of the week, but everything was a little easier because of the AMAZING weather we had - never have I worn jeans or a jacket at the fair!

We brought all the little goats that were born this winter and they did great.    Most of the older gals got to stay home and I don't think they'd have done as well - something to work on for next year.  



As for the sheep, middle boy got champion lightweight wether with one of his but none of the others did very well - again, something to work on for next year.  None of the lambs showed as well as their moms had in the past, which makes me think we need to borrow a different ram this year for breeding.

We're always proud of the boys and all their hard work though, and it's been neat to see them taking on more as they get older. 


This year oldest boy won Senior Showman in the sheep barn, which entitled him to go on to compete in the Master Showman contest.  The winning senior showman from each barn (sheep, goats, dairy, beef, swine, and horses) all show each animal other than their own.    This meant that before the competition on Sunday, oldest boy had to go around to each barn and line up an animal to borrow for the show, plus practice how to show it. 

 
It was a great experience for him and he really enjoyed working with all the different species - I think he was the most nervous about the radio interview!    


Of course, the icing on the cake was that he won reserve champion!!   All the competitors did a great job and I hope they are all proud of themselves.   Some of the kids won't even try to compete at this level with all the different species so I say good job to all of them!


he was much happier than he looks, believe me!


So that's one more year of county fair under our belts.......I hope the boys will have fond memories of these days when they are older, hopefully the early mornings and hard work won't be the main things they recall.

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• Jul. 14, 2009
It's time

It's fair time once again -- everyone around here is busy with preparations:  cleaning & clipping sheep and goats, gathering supplies, trimming hooves, & putting the last touches on other 4-H projects.   Tomorrow is "visual arts" judging and then late afternoon, the animals will get moved down there.   It's sure to be a busy few days, and we are blessed with a forecast of wonderful weather!   It sure makes life easier when the temps are pleasant.   See you on the flip side!!

   
    2008

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• Jul. 7, 2009
Just keep knitting......

I've been knitting as much as I can on my Girasole, hoping to make it for the wedding but I think I miscalculated when deciding if I had enough time to make the deadline.  I didn't take into account things like birthdays (the farmer), out-of-town guests, and all that good stuff!

This is what might happen around our house when the cousins get together:
Besides making unique block/cousin sculptures, we saw a movie, did some swimming, played games, and of course had a cookout for the 4th of July.    It was all fun and great to see everyone but now the fair is only a week away and the to-do list is long.   I think this summer seems to be going by even quicker than usual because the busy farming season went on so long....in fact it's just finishing up.  The farmer still has plenty to do but he was actually home for dinner last night, so that's a good thing.  

So far the only thing from the garden has been radishes (not my fav) but youngest boy found this one lone tomato a few days ago - there's many more to come, I hope!   The farmer planted 48 tomato plants, luckily tomatoes ARE one of my favorites. 

I'll leave you with a few photos from the flower garden and a goodbye from Max & Emma!

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• Jun. 23, 2009
Wild Kingdom??

Ok, I know we live on a farm and all that, but it seems like there's been a lot of wildlife around here lately.   It's fun to watch the birds that have nested on the front porch, but they make you feel pretty unwelcome, ha!  The little finches on the front door have hatched so we're trying to be extra careful. 


I have a feeling this wreath will be a real mess before they're ready to move out!
We've got another feathered friend hanging around - this little guy hangs around every day except when it's raining...tap, tap tapping on the window.   I've no idea why he wants in so badly!


A couple days ago a coyote ran right along the back yard  in broad daylight - we hear them all the time at night but I rarely see them (maybe because of Eowyn?) and especially not during the day.

We spotted these little guys at dusk while walking down to get the mail:

They are young enough that they were more curious than scared.
One of the farms had a trench dug for a phone line, and a ton of little frogs got in the trench but couldn't get out.   My bil scooped them up and brought them home to go to work in the garden.  They are welcome to eat all the bugs they can!

  
Speaking of the garden, it's really coming along nicely and we've got tons of very nice radishes out there.  (too bad I really don't care much for radishes)  I can't wait for the first tomato!


The farmer is trying to finish the planting - he's still got some beans to go.  It just keeps raining!!  In 22 years, I've never seen a spring like this.  He even worked all day on Father's Day, which has never happened before.   We did bring him some lunch and then around 7pm he got rained out again.


Things have slowed down just a bit now that little league is over for another year.   Youngest boy's coach was a screamer, and the more those kids won, the more he yelled at them.    I really had to bite my tongue as I was ready to do some yelling of my own sometimes - one game he finally got thrown out for yelling at the umpire.   Yes I'll admit, I was cheering that ump on - on the inside anyway.  So we're all a bit relieved to be done with that. 


I started bringing knitting to the games to help distract me from the crazy - once it was warm enough to not sit wrapped in my blanket, that is.   I normally avoid deadline knitting like the plague, but when I saw Girasole and the Loopy Ewe discount on yarn bought for it, I couldn't help think it would be a great gift  for a friend's wedding later this summer.    So I plunged in and I'm really enjoying it- the pattern is worth every dime.  I'm using Dream in Color Classy in a pretty grey color called "Tabby."  (it's much nicer than the picture shows)  It's going fairly quickly but it is after all, a blanket, so I try to work on it whenever I can.  Speaking of which....
I think it's time to squeeze in some knitting before dinner.

ps.  Emma thanks you for welcoming her!  We're still really enjoying getting to know her although I do feel for Max at times - she's a very bossy little girl!

 


 

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• Jun. 16, 2009
New Addition!

Last week we added to our menagerie by bringing home a "sister" for Max!
We've been thinking about this, off and on, ever since we had to say goodbye to our Springer Spaniel Abe, last August.      I really didn't want another puppy, and we thought it might be a good idea to adopt a rescue dog.  After checking out Petfinder.com for several weeks, I came across a little wiener dog that looked like she would be a good fit for our family.   

Meet Emma!!

We adopted Emma through "Magnificent Mutts,"  and I was very impressed with their organization.  After our application was approved, we were able to go up north to the Chicago area to meet Emma.   (Max was required to come with, too!)  Apparently their were lots of applicants interested in Emma so were were lucky to get her.  ( I think the fact that we're home all day most of the time gave us an edge.)   Because Emma was in "foster care," the people she lived with could give us a good description of her personality.   She's good with kids and other dogs, which was important!  She's a very happy little thing and she's only a year old so she's plenty frisky and loves to play.


Emma is fearless and she's giving Max a run for his money, but they are having a ball together!!


Just like Max, she loves to be on someone's lap whenever she can.


She's only been here since Wednesday, but she acts like she owns the place and has been here forever.  Max is learning all about bossy little sisters.....but he's also learning how to hold his own!   And they're giving us plenty of entertainment!

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• Jun. 8, 2009
Lazy Summer Days??

I always picture summer as the time when things slow down, and there's lots of time to sit on the porch and knit with a big glass of lemonade.   I should know better by now!!  The farmer has been super busy trying to catch up after the spring rains - he worked 21 days in a row, all of them long hours, too.   We got a light rain yesterday and the poor man spent most of the day in bed - I think he was totally exhausted. 

    my peonies are blooming - one of my fav flowers

The boys are just about done with school.  Middle boy finished up his last subject today, oldest boy will be done with his last subject soon, and youngest boy finished up last week.  Good thing too, as they've got plenty to do with getting their livestock ready for the fair, mowing & work in the yard and garden.  The older boys will be helping the farmer some, plus the oldest has his job at the karate studio to go to and is starting an ACT prep class today.  Youngest boy is still playing baseball and started swim lessons today.     I don't think any of them will be too bored any time soon!

Thankfully, much of this swirl of activity I just have to coordinate and make sure everyone's going in the right direction at the right time.   I do squeeze in some knitting time, although mostly on the back deck instead of the porch.   We've got barn swallows and house finches nesting on the porch and my presence isn't really welcome!  

 
I had planned to take this wreath apart and re-do it, but that'll have to wait for now.  Can you see why??  Look closely.......


A little closer...........

Mrs. Finch decided my front door wreath was the perfect place to build her nest!   She doesn't seem too bothering by comings and goings, as long as we don't hang around.   I love how the nest is lined with sheep's wool and goat hair.   
On the needles, a pair of socks for the farmer, a newer Anne Hanson pattern (Bricker) done in some chocolate brown by Hazel Knits.......  (from The Loopy Ewe)   



AND the Lace Ribbon Scarf  from Knitty in Handmaiden Casbah.  



In the works is a pretty big project with a time limit,  just waiting on the yarn for that.  And now it's time to go make sure everybody's on schedule for the afternoon's activities!

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• May. 12, 2009
Home Improvement

It's so great to have some warmish, sunny days - although we're still freezing at evening baseball games.  The farmer can finally start planting today,  which is a huge relief.   We've had the wettest spring, there's only been one other year since we've been married that they got started this late.   I'm sure it'll be fine, but this weather has made all the farmers around here pretty nervous.   They do much better when they can get in those tractors and GO!


He did get his garden started though,  just look at the size of that sucker.   I don't even want to know what the dimensions are - and he's got another one in a separate spot for all the tomatoes.     I see lots of wonderful fresh veggies in our future, if we can keep the bugs & weeds under control that is!   

We manged to squeeze in a few small home improvement projects too - I got a new light fixture for the eating area,  and a new sink and faucet for the kitchen.   Whoever thought a new faucet could be so exciting??  My sink was in really bad shape for being only 10 years old, and the faucet had no personality whatsoever.   I'm in love with my new shiny sink and I think the faucet adds some interest.   (I tried for new countertops as well but the farmer drew the line there-maybe in another 10 years) 

 

And I've been on a mission to re-organize pantries and closets as part of my spring cleaning...It feels so good to take this:
 
 
and turn it into this:


Now if only it would stay that way forever!!

Max the wiener dog needed a little improvement too - he managed to injure his back and was not the same dog for several days.  Two trips to the vet, some meds, and lots of rest, and now he seems completely back to normal.   We were all pretty worried about him, it's so good to see him back to normal, although he's been permanently banned from the stairs to hopefully keep this from happening again.


I hope all the moms out there had a lovely Mother's Day.  I was taken for a nice brunch, to buy annuals for the porch & deck,  given a Starbucks gift card & one of the cool new insulated starbucks cups  , but I think my favorite part of the weekend was when the farmer took me to the movies so I could boldly go where no man has gone before!

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• May. 4, 2009
Knitting Update

Time for some knitting!!   Back in April I started Liesl - my very first non-baby "sweater."   I've got to say, I love this pattern - it's got lots of different options to choose from -I'd definitely like to make another one someday, maybe the longer version, in a cotton yarn.   I was able to get a cropped version out of just 2 skeins of malabrigo, and it was a really quick and easy project.    Here's the finished Liesl before I had a button for it, so it's held together with a Cubs pin.  (I don't think it's blocked yet, either)
 

And, with a proper button:


The only thing I'd change for next time would be to knit a couple rows of garter stitch right under the armhole, rather than immediately starting the lace pattern. 
(I finished this in time for Easter and I did wear it, but I didn't really think it was very flattering - because of the way it hangs,  it tends to emphasize my worst feature.)

Next up, while my current sock project is languishing on the needles, I started a Lace Ribbon Scarf with some Handmaiden Casbah.   This yarn was part of the Loopy Ewe Consolation Kit (for people that couldn't get into the sock club) and it told me it wanted to be a scarf.
   
As beautiful as this yarn is, these aren't really my colors so this may end us as a gift for ..... someone. 

I can't claim to have knitted myself a chicken, but I though I'd post a picture of our new chicks at 4 weeks:


They're out of their brooder and having great times exploring their pen.   Some of the old gals next door look pretty suspicious of the newcomers though:



 

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• Apr. 24, 2009
Barn Talk

When a farmer is antsy because it's too wet to start his spring planting, what happens?  The barn gets cleaned out! and it was really needing it, too)    We don't have a traditional barn, instead we have a big machine shed that was already on the property.   Over the past few years, the farmer and the boys have built stalls, a chicken coop, and a couple of lofts to store hay & straw.   One advantage to this was that it was designed with some removable fence posts & fencing, so when it's time to clean out stalls, it doesn't all have to be done by hand.

First the posts, etc are taken out, and then the skid steer goes to work.    There is still some hand work, but not nearly as much.

Talk about a handy piece of equipment!!   There's a bucket on the front so the manure can be dumped directly into the manure spreader, which then goes out to the field and spreads it - best fertilizer ever!
Here's the spreader being pulled by an antique tractor, as you can imagine oldest boy loves to do this job!


And here's one end of the barn, with just the permanent posts/fencing in place, and most of the debris dug out.   Now to be honest, I don't really do any of this work!   I bring out drinks & snacks, cook dinner for the work crew, and wash all the really stinky laundry.  And of course I tell them what a good job they're all doing.

 
That white stuff is lime, which we always spread as a base in the stalls before adding the bedding (straw).   But until now, the large open part of the barn was always just a dirt floor, which made for a lot of dust.  A LOT.   This time,  the entire barn got dug out, every last square inch, so that the entire thing could be spread with lime, for a much nicer surface.  Yay!  This is a project we've been wanting to do for ages.  The floor will drain better and the entire barn should be less dusty.

Today was the day for the many truck loads of lime to come- it takes quite a bit as a 6 inch layer was put down.   This is looking at the north end of the barn, with the chicken coop to my right.  

   
The chickens get fresh lime too!   This shows a corner of the chicken coop, and you can see the loft build overhead where the straw is kept.   The farmer built this coop a few years ago and the chickens have a small door so they can go outside during the day into their little run.  


For now, the chicken coop has been divided in half to keep the new chicks separate from the old gals.   My cute little chicks are already looking like gawky pre-teens, they are half feathers and half fluff, which just looks silly.


The job is just about done - the boys are putting back the other fencing and dragging feed barrels and equipment boxes back into the barn.   Talk about a huge job - even with the machinery, this has taken a work crew of 6 about 3 days. Three VERY long days.  Sometimes I wonder about the money and effort spent on our little livestock endeavor - it's really just for the boys to have 4-H projects and so we can have fresh eggs, it's not like we make any money from it.    But the boys (well, all of us !!) have learned so much, and barn chores are a great outlet for all that young male energy.   (and I NEVER hear "mom, I'm bored!")  It's sure different from the way I grew up in suburbia!  

And what do the goats do when their stalls are being worked on and they are locked out for the day?  Just enjoy the sunshine, of course!

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• Apr. 7, 2009
April Showers

Well, it's not supposed to be April snow showers that bring May flowers, is it???  I didn't think so, but that's what we woke up to yesterday morning!
 

Thank goodness for heat lamps, or our new arrivals would be frozen solid!   Last week, our order of future laying hens arrived in the mail.   It always amazes me that they can pack these little guys off, ship them out, and they arrive the next day, safe and sound.    They had to stay in their box in the kitchen for a bit while we finished getting their area ready in the barn.


You can see even in the house, they need some extra warmth at this stage.   We had to divide the chicken pen from top to bottom with chicken wire before we could put them in the barn, as adult chickens do not take kindly to new additions.  These little guys wouldn't stand a chance!


While they were waiting for their permanent quarters, we put a few at a time into a big basket so they could get a drink.  They have to have their beaks gently dipped into the waterer, and then they get the idea.  


There are 25 new chicks and we got several different breeds:  white leghorns, black australorps, silver laced wyandottes, barred rocks, and my favorite, buff orpingtons.    They are doing really well so far, and you can already see a change in them after just a few days.    I think they have the funniest expressions on their faces - these two don't look very happy, do they?

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• Mar. 27, 2009
Spring has Sprung

So why is this poor blog so neglected??  I'm afraid it's a case of lots to do, but most of it is routine and not too inspiring to blog about.   Or maybe it's just a case of the March blahs - in any case, we've had plenty to keep us busy.  In addition to the usual round of schoolwork and the boys' activities, we're had a flurry of FFA suppers and 4-H pizza parties.   The farmer had some unpleasantness with an employee to deal with, which caused plenty of stress all around.  Yuck.    My bil and nephew came for a week to work on the farm, and we also hosted some friends of the boys for several days, while their parents house-hunted in another state.


There has been knitting though:  I made myself a new ballband dishcloth,  worked on some socks, and managed to get Alhambra (ravelry link)  both knit and blocked in time for my mom's birthday.  (you know how scarves can just seem to take forever!)   I can highly recommend both the pattern and the yarn, which was laceweight merino from The Woolen Rabbit.  (There's definitely some Woolen Rabbit sock yarn in my future!)  I had a hard time picking out a colorway for someone else, but I think Mom looks very nice in the fiddlehead green!


 Here's another shot, modeled by a table lamp:


As for socks, I've been working on a pair from a Schoppel-wolle Zauberball in a fun colorway called tropical fish.   It's not got the tight twist I usually like for sock yarn, but the colors are great and it's very soft , even with the 25% nylon.  (eta:  the socks are called Primavera, a free pattern you can find here - it's in the sidebar)


We've really been fortunate with our weather lately - it really feels like spring is here with the grass starting to green up and the perrenials starting to pop - and the farmer is starting to go into it's-almost-time-to-start-planting mode.    AND, most fun of all in my book, there's a barn full of baby animals who love to get outside in the pasture on a nice day.  Don't I wish I had their energy!!
(and all that background noise - the wind.....there's a reason we call it Weathertop!)

 

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• Mar. 1, 2009
March Snow

Wow, March 1 already, but it's snowing like crazy right now so it doesn't really feel like spring is coming -- yet.   It feels more like this:

a new kind of sled dog??

Eowyn's main duty is guarding the livestock, but she really loves the snow and the boys love to get her out when they're playing in it.   Even a guard dog needs a little fun time!!

All of our midwife duties are done for now, the last lambs were born 2 weeks ago today.  We thought we were home free, with no bottle lambs or kids, but the last ewe to give birth, "Cornflower," decided to be a problem- once her twin lambs were born, cleaned up and nursing on their own, we went back into the house.   When we went back out an hour later to check on them, she'd chewed off about 1/2 their tails - some kind of weird mothering instinct gone wrong thing!!   (EWWWW!) She obviously couldn't be left alone with them, so they've required some extra care.     
This year we've got 17 assorted babies out in the barn.   When our first set of goat triplets were born, we thought for sure we'd loose one, as they were all pretty week and it was pretty cold that night.   We got out the hairdryer but we ended up bringing them all in the house to try and raise their body temps.   Two responded really quickly, but one of them just did not look good.  We put her in front of the oven, on a heating pad, rubbed glucose on her gums, and anything else we could think of but she just seemed like a limp rag.   I've seen that before and usually they just fade away.    We finally went to bed about 3am, leaving her on the heating pad, wrapped in towels.    I was really shocked to find her alive and perky in the morning, and she's been doing great since- a good lesson not to give up!

warming the triplets


Another set of triplets- these didn't have any problems, thank goodness!   That little guy on top there is really cute, and he's got more coloring than any other Boer we've ever had.


Even with all the new additions doing well, there's lots to tend to:  they all need shots, a few got "pasty" butts (sticky poops that need to be clean off), one of the moms got  chapped teats and needed some extra care,  the lambs' tails were docked,  and creep pens need to be set up once they're a couple weeks old.    I'm looking forward to watching them all play in the pasture once we get some warmer, sunny days.

I've still cranked out a couple pairs of socks though - socks are really the perfect portable project, I'm sure that's one reason they're so popular.  They go with me to the orthodontist, karate, etc.  And I have to admit, I've gotten pretty addicted to wearing them in this cold weather, so I keep wanting more!!   The farmer loves the pair I made him so much, I really wanted to make him another as well:

  "Globe Trotters" in Berroco Sox yarn

Not so sure I'd be in a hurry to use the Berroco Sox yarn again, it was softer than the Opal I used for his other pair while knitting, but didn't soften up as much upon washing.   meh.   I also wasn't nuts about the colorway, another instance where buying yarn online can be frustrating.    But he likes them, and they fit well.


This yarn I LOVED, by Gaslight Dyeworks.  I used the bluebell rib pattern from Charlene Schurch's "Sensational Knitted Socks" and it went super quick - just 11 days for these socks, which is a record for me!!  (or it could just have been that I really loved this yarn!)
At least my feet are warm- hope your are too!!

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• Feb. 14, 2009
Happy Valentines Day!!

Happy Valentines Day!!!
Find someone and give them a little extra hug today.   I've heard people poo-poo Valentines Day because you should show people you love them all year round, not just on a few select days.   Well, of course that's true!!  But a little extra in the middle of cold and dreary February doesn't hurt!!
Here's a little goat love:

Awwww, could this little guy get any cuter???   Last week was pretty crazy with new baby goats popping out all over!  (more pics to come)    We had a combo oldest boy/youngest boy birthday party with the relatives last weekend which included goats being born right in the middle of it!

One evening last week we lost power for several hours (thankfully no one was in labor) and it was a bit dark to knit socks so I went back to one of my old favs- the ballband dishcloth.   Can you tell I was in a Valentines frame of mind??


Have a great day!!
    

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