The in-between

(chow time)

We've had the drabbest, wettest, foggiest kind of days this week.  I don't mind it so much when I can stay home and have a cozy fire in my little studio woodstove.  Because I have fewer numbers in the sheep flock, I can satisfy my need to bring everyone into the barn whenever I feel like it, which makes them happy and me, too.  No sloshing around out in the fields, spreading hay for sheep who would much rather be hanging out inside the barn, eating their hay from the hay racks.

(Turkey plate time!)

Thanksgiving was quite the stromash (ah, can't help but let a little Outlander slip into my speech when I have the chance!) We ended up with 20 folks around the tables. There are not so many littles anymore. Atticus is 19 months and Parker is 5 years old.  Mia is next youngest at 10 and after that it was all teenage boys (the two older girls were absent this year). I'm reminded every year of how fortunate I am to have most of my family close at hand and that they are willing to spend time here at the farm. The energy is quite different now that most of the grandchildren are getting older.  There are no worries about little boys being upstairs jumping on the beds or moving the clawfoot bathtub around! (That clawfoot bathtub business is true. A game of hide-and-seek caused the tub to get scooted just a wee bit and next thing we knew water was dripping out of the ceiling downstairs!)

(Tiny tree in the studio)

The Thanksgiving decorative (not the eating kind) turkeys have all gone back into their storage places, but very little in the way of Christmas decorations has made it out.  I'm feeling a little ambivalent about the whole thing in this in-between time.  I have put up a tiny tree in my studio with some of the wool felt ornaments I've collected over the years and am almost wishing I could do something similar in the house.  Oh well, some kind of a tree will appear in the house this weekend.  I'm not quite into the bah-humbug category, just feeling the need for simple this time around. There was a time in my life when decorating for Christmas took on epic proportions. Every room in the house had Christmas baubles. That was mostly when my boys were small and it appears that I'm over that now.  All I want are the most simple and natural decorations, with a minimum of glitter and gaudy.  My friend, Teresa, says if you can't be tacky at Christmas, whenever can you be, but I've somehow slipped into a quieter frame of mind in recent years.

Not so much going on in the knitting department either.  Still working on the Hitchhiker, though it suffered a setback when I discovered a mistake many rows down and my attempts at fixing it didn't work out well.  I ripped back at least 5 inches and that caused some minor discouragement and a time-out for the scarf.  I'm back to it now after knitting a few hats and finishing a set of fingerless mitts. My knitting ADD has reached embarrassing numbers and I'm feeling the need to frog and donate some yarn.  It has come to my attention that no matter how long I live, it is very unlikely that I will knit up all the yarn in my stash. Only if the dreaded world-wide shortage of wool happens will anyone consider that I have been wise to assemble this much yarn in one place. I am embarking on a major cleanout and donate. This mindset could have been triggered by the decision to move my dye room to my storage room in the barn. Cleaning out the storage room (that's a euphemism for the let's-just-dump-it-here-room) is an exercise that can only be described as painful. At this point, if it were legal and all the animals were safely outside, I'd be quite happy for the barn to burn down!  Problem solved. I recently read a book about tidying and organizing your stuff and the advice was to hold every item in your hand and ask yourself if it gives you joy.  Well, all I can say is I'm wishing I had a lot less stuff right now because not much of it feels like joy!

So, onward into the weekend and with Christmas approaching fast, I hope we all can find some peace and joy in the days ahead.

Celebrations

Last week seemed to just roll over me and it's looking as though this week might do the same.  We  had a week of such highs and lows.  We gathered family together and held a celebration of my sweet mother-in-law's 90th birthday on Sunday.  There were four generations present who wanted to honor her and show her how very much she means to all of us.  She handled it all with her customary grace and good humor and seemed pleased (though she kept saying that she never expected to still be here on this earth for so long!).

On Tuesday, my 23 year old grand-daughter moved to California and my feelings about it are very conflicted.  It's an exciting adventure for her and I'm happy that she's having the opportunity to experience it, now while she is young.  On the other hand, I am, quite selfishly, very sad that she's so far away.  In the past few years, she's become more like the daughter I'll never have and I'm going to miss having her just an hour away.  It is a comfort to be able to stay in touch easily via email, phone and texts, so I can be grateful for that.

Late in the week, my youngest son's father-in-law quite passed away quite unexpectedly, after complications from surgery.   My daughter-in-law is part of a very close-knit family and it has been very sad for all who know them.  They chose to hold a celebration of his life, rather than calling it a funeral. He left a legacy of a family who never doubted for a moment that he loved them and the service was full of fond memories they have of him.

Two celebrations of life in one week - one for someone continuing to live a long and full life and one for someone gone too soon.  It's sobering to think how tenuous our life on this earth is.  None of us know what tomorrow brings or even how many tomorrows we have left.  I know I need to practice living each day to the fullest (and fullest does not mean filling it up with busyness), to avoid dwelling on negative thoughts and to tell those I love how much they mean to me more often.  Lately, I've been getting messages from different sources (even facebook, of all places) to slow down, simplify, be present and awake in my own life.  I've thought a lot about the concept of simplifying for some time now and it often feels as though the more I yearn for it, the more elusive it becomes.  Am I alone in seeking a more simple life?  I don't think I am, but I'd be interested to hear how others feel about the idea of it.  I'd love to know if you've managed to achieve a balanced life and how you accomplished it or if, like me, you're still trying to figure it all out.

A thank you ...

Beautiful autumn weather has graced us the last few days.  Earlier in the week,  every time I looked up,  I wanted to grab my camera and try to capture the beginnings of color in the trees,  the crispness of the air,  the peace and quiet.  I do so love this time of year.

Thanks so much to all of you who made the trek out to see us on Saturday.  It was so great to put faces to some of the names I've seen commenting on this blog and to even meet a few neighbors that I didn't know.  I really do appreciate all of you and the kindness you've shown.  For those of you who have asked,  I'm starting to work on photographing some of the 2012 Sheep Dreams yarn and hope to have it in my Etsy shop soon.  Thanks to my dysfunctional Windstream internet service*,  it may require a marathon visit to my Kroger's Starbucks,  but I'll get it done!  (*Witness the picture below - I've tried about 20 times to upload it and this was the best I could do.)

I'm so sorry to not be going to Rhinebeck this weekend.  I waited until yesterday to cancel my hotel reservation because I kept holding out hope that somehow it would work out.   Rhinebeck is my very favorite festival of the year,  held in one of my favorite areas of the country.  Oh well,  one can always hope for next year.

This has been a week of introspection for me.  My last remaining uncle died on Monday.  He lived and full and happy life and would have been 92 in just a few weeks.  He was the last of my father's four brothers and one sister and,  ironically,  the oldest of them.  My father died at 54 from lung cancer,  so he has been gone a long,  long time.  Thinking about all this has made me realize that it is really the end of an era for my family.  In the last couple of years,  I've seen cousins that I'd lost touch with on several occasions .... all funerals.  As children,  we spent a lot of time together and it's sad to think about how busy we get and how we let those connections slip away. 

We're having a dark, rainy and cold day here in central Kentucky and that suits me just fine.  I've built the first fire of the season in my little Vermont Castings woodstove and have settled into the studio for a little bit of knitting therapy. 

Perfect

Some of the many,  many mums,  waiting to be placed.

It was, in every sense,  perfect.  It was the most personal,  fun-filled and happy occasion.  It was all a wedding should be and much,  much more.

As many of you know,  Mike and I have spent most of the summer preparing the farm for the wedding of Mike's son, Taylor,  and Crimson.  They are two very special people and their wedding was so them.  I am certain that everyone who attended was there because of their affection for the two of them,  which only added to the spirit of celebration.

The beginnings of "tent city" ( along with the caterer's van ) 

The weather was exactly what I ordered,  all those months ago,  when we first agreed to have their wedding here on the farm.  It was bright and sunny,  not too hot,  not too cool.  We knew the ceremony would be unusual,  but even Crimson and Taylor did not know exactly how it would all transpire.  The officiant,  who is a really close friend of theirs,  had several surprises for them along the way.   It was all so personal and heartfelt,  I know that every person in attendance was touched.  It was,  for sure,  a memory Crimson and Taylor (and all of us) will keep forever.

Inexplicably,  I only have a picture of half the tent during dinner.

I am embarrassed to admit that I took practically no pictures.  I kept losing and finding my camera and never seemed to have it when I had a moment.  The official photographer,  who is also a good friend,  took 4000 pictures !  ( really and truly,  I've never seen anyone work so hard to capture so many moments )  I'm hopeful that I can get permission to use some of his pictures,  or at the very least,  post a link to his website.

The bride ( bless her heart ) , dancing with my  10 year old grandson, Preston.

The last few hardy souls went to bed ( or should I say,  to their tents and sleeping bags ) around 3 am!  Mike and I had to give up around 1 am.  These people are young and they know how to party !  The band was great and kept the dancers going for nearly 3 hours.  We had a good crowd for coffee ( lots of coffee ),  yogurt,  granola and muffins on Sunday morning and I'm guessing there were some really tired people,  trying to work in a nap yesterday afternoon !

All tidied up and waiting for the rental company to come take it away

Mike and I are wondering what project to tackle next,  though I'm voting for a break in the action.  Thanksgiving,  Christmas and New Years are just around the corner !

Summer time food

Tomorrow, like plenty of other folks around the country, we'll be going to a family get-together and are supposed to bring a salad of some sort. Salads are hard, I think. Well, not for us here at home because we like almost all salads, but it seems difficult to think of something that will please everyone involved when you are fixing for a group. I always think of cole slaw as the ultimate in summer food and this recipe is perfect because you can prepare it the day before and it lasts much longer than traditional, mayonnaise based slaw. I've been fixing this recipe since a long ago family vacation to Hilton Head Island. There's a seafood restaurant there called Hudson's and this is their famous "Hudson's 7-day slaw". I'm not kidding about the famous part. You can google it and find the recipe in plenty of places. It's a good recipe to have in your file and everyone seems to like it.

Here's the recipe that came out of my old copy of Hudson's own cookbook-

1 head of cabbage --- 2 Tbs. sugar

1 red onion --- 1/2 Tbs dry mustard

1/3 cup sugar --- 1/4 Tbs salt

1 cup canola oil --- 1/4 Tbs pepper

1 cup apple cider vinegar

Slice or shred cabbage and onion, thinly. Toss with 1/3 cup sugar. Mix remaining ingredients in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Pour boiling mixture over cabbage and let set for 5 minutes. Mix well, then refrigerate until chilled.

I don't think it has ever needed to last for 7 days at my house, only because it was all gone before then!

Have a safe and happy holiday weekend everyone. Summer is really here now!

No Easter bunnies here

We only have Easter lambies around here! These two lambs became the starring attraction at Nana's (that would be me) this year. Forget about that Easter egg hunt! They all just wanted to hold the lambs. Due to some unusual circumstances, I ended up with two bottle babies in the house during Easter weekend and it turned out to be a really fun thing for the grandkids. We always have the whole family here for Easter and have a tradition of taking pictures of each family group seated on a huge rock that marks the family cemetery of former owners of the farm. This year, every family group picture included the lambs! The lambs seemed to love all the attention, but they were some tired babies at the end of the day!

Besides having the whole family here for Easter Sunday, we had a productive weekend in the lambing barn. There were four sets of twins and one set of triplets born. We now have 17 lambs on the ground......8 ewe lambs and 9 ram lambs. There will be a little break in the action now and then we should finish up with the last four ewes lambing next weekend.

Hopes Dashed

That would be my hopes for an Olympic medal. You know that saying, "Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans"? My plans were to get a lot of knitting done during the two weeks of nightly Olympic television watching, but life decided otherwise. It's probably just as well. Not long after I cast on for my Shepherd's Jacket, I read this entry on Kim's blog and thought to myself, "why don't I have enough sense to do that?" By day two of Olympic knitting, I was back to waking up at night with the carpel-tunnel symptoms. A few years ago, during a particularly graceful (!) fall, I tore the posterior cruciate ligament in one of my knees. The orthopedic surgeon told me then that he would see me soon.........because I was working on borrowed time with the carpel tunnel issue. So, between all that has happened around here in the past 10 days and the reoccurring pain, I hereby declare myself Unable to Finish the Course (sorta like Bode Miller--only not as dramatic). I'm still planning on knitting on my Shepherd's Jacket, just without the hope of a medal, though when I do finish all that garter stitch, I'm sure I will feel I deserve a medal!

Those of you who know me and my family, know that my oldest son's wife, Melanie, had a brain aneurysm almost four years ago. It was a very scary time for all of us who love her, but she made a miraculous, full recovery. Just a week or so ago, the unheard of happened and she had another aneurysm. Thankfully, this one was caught before there had been any bleeding. She had surgery last week and is now home and on the road to recovery again. Because this one was caught early, it would appear that recovery won't be such a long, arduous process this time. So, to all of you who have been sending good wishes this way, please know how very much they are appreciated.

Some smalls

I've been knitting a fair amount, off and on, since Christmas. Mostly, it's been small things that are easy to pick-up and put down and can be finished quickly. I've not been taxing my brain with anything complicated. I will say, I have been enjoying myself (and my right hand carpel tunnel pain has decreased considerably). It feels good to be taking things off the needles and adding to the stack of completed projects. Oh, I still have lots and lots of unfinished knitting languishing in baskets and bags, but for the moment I'm not stressing about them.

I keep a basket full of hats and mittens and a tub full of barn boots in all sizes for the grandchildren because whenever they are here they always want to go to the barn and/or the creek. Occasionally, one of the kids will take a liking to a particular hat and it will end up going home with them. I love it when that happens. It pleases me so much when they actually like something I've knitted enough to want to wear it. I hope having handknit hats, mittens, scarves and sweaters from their Nana will be a memory they keep long after I'm gone from this earth.

So, these are some of the newest additions to the basket. The chunky blue hat is a basic hat pattern knit from some of my own hand dyed, handspun thick and thin yarn. The other three are all the "Quarters Hat" that Kristin Nicholas designed. (You can buy the pattern at the linked page.) I cannot get enough of knitting this hat. I've knit a total of five Quarters hats so far and have more on the needles. This pattern is a great way to use up stash and I'm endlessly amused with picking out colors and types of yarn to combine. The pattern is designed with short rows and once you knit the first one, you can figure out how to adjust the number of cast-on stitches to adapt to most any weight of yarn. I used left over chunky handspun on one, the grey and white is some Patons 100% wool that I found at Michaels! (I know-I was really surprised at how nice it feels) and the multi-colored one is a combination of Kristin Nicholas' Julia yarn (really nice and it's soft enough to pass the kid non-itchy test!) and some Crystal Palace Taos from the stash. You should definitely add this to your to-do list. Just don't say I didn't warn you. They're like those old potato chip ads "betcha can't knit just one".

I'm off this afternoon (after a long, long list of errands to be completed) to my spinning group's annual retreat. We all look forward to this little get-away as a time of much spinning, much knitting, much laughing and way too much eating! So, I hope you have as great a weekend as I'm planning on.

'Tis the season for school programs

Is there anything sweeter than an 8 year old boy wearing a halo and singing during his school Christmas program? Well, maybe his baby brother, who just couldn't stay awake through the whole thing!

Of course, being the "Nana" of Preston (the 8 year old) and Parker (11 months old), I couldn't possibily choose.

Much knitting

So very much knitting, I'm drowning in it. Remember way back in January when I had that great idea to start on my Christmas knitting for this year? Well, something happened to my resolve along the way. It just seemed so far in the future back in the summer and I was focused on knitting for myself (so thoughtless of me). I'm paying the price for my lazy attitude right now. My right hand is locked up in a "holding the knitting needle" position. Just kidding, but it might be before (if) I cross the finish line.

The adults in our family don't really give each other gifts anymore. Instead we pool our money and donate to the Heifer Organization. I love the way Heifer enables people to raise their standard of living and be self-sufficient. There are eight grandchildren now and that does take some thought and effort to come up with something they will like. Most of the grandkids are getting gifts I've ordered on line, so I'm keeping my pledge to not go near the mall. So, what's all the knitting about, you ask? I decided recently that I wanted to give all the girls and women in the family some little hand-knit thing (it will probably be the guy's turn next year). So, after spending way too much time on Ravelry, I think I have come up with the perfect gift. I can't do a show and tell at the moment, but certainly will take some pictures before I wrap everything. I'm so excited about doing this and I'm praying I can get it all done in time. I love the idea of a handmade Christmas and one of these years I'm going to pull off doing the whole shebang handmade! (Everyone needs a goal, right?)

And I'll take this over the mall any day!

Grateful

Yesterday was such a blur.....a happy blur of being surrounded by the ones I love. I spent many hours preparing for the day and then, before I knew it, it was over. Today, the day after Thanksgiving, I am feeling especially grateful for the abundance in my life. My sons, daughters-in-law, step-son and his significant other, grandchildren and mother-in-law were all gathered here at our home yesterday......two tables filled with adults and children. It's always a lively, noisy occasion when we are all together. (Although I'm noticing that as the grandchildren get a little older the noise level decreases somewhat!) I know that I am blessed to live this life and I am so thankful.

Reading Anne Hanson's blog this morning, I felt that giving to someone else might be the best way to show gratitude for all that I have, so I followed the link to p/hop (pennies per hour of pleasure---a wonderful, imaginative way of raising funds for Doctors Without Borders), downloaded the pattern for the Stripey Beanie and donated toward the cause. Doctors Without Borders is such a worthy cause and I am happy to support them in some small way. If you can spare a little something today might be an especially meaningful time to contribute.

(Of course, this also means that I have a great excuse to cast-on yet another project!)

Large immoveable objects.....

We've had some (wonderful) unusual weather for August the last few days. It's been cool and cloudy, as opposed to very hot and sunny. On days when it is really overcast and cool, the sheep will often be found scattered around, snuggled down and snoozing in the fields. These adult ewes looked like boulders strewn around the field on Saturday morning. Sometimes when I see them sleeping like this, I have to yell or clap my hands, just to see if they lift their heads or wiggle their ears, to reassure myself that they are alive!

At the risk of being perceived as just another blogging, bragging grandmother (who me?), this story was in the Lexington Herald-Leader in the Inside/Out section on Saturday. These boys put their gardening grandmother to shame.

Graduation days

It's that time of year when so much is happening. So many steps taken in the direction of becoming an independent being.....all grown up and on your own. Last week I attended the high school graduation of my oldest grand-daughter, Jordan, (who graduated with honors, I might add!). I remember when she was born, as if it were yesterday. After raising three sons, I was thrilled to finally have a girl in the family. Now, she is an accomplished young woman, who has earned a full scholarship to U of L, and has plans to become a pediatric nurse. And she is as sweet as she is intelligent. I'm very proud to be her "Nana" (can you tell?). That's her equally proud father, my middle son, Chris, standing next to her.

On the farm front, we had our own version of graduation early this week. The lambs and the ewes have gone out to pasture and are no longer being put into the barn every night. That's a big step because it means much less barn work for me. The lambs are now under the protection of our Great Pyrenees dogs during the night, so when I hear the coyotes, I also listen to hear the dogs barking in response. It's comforting to know they are on the job and up to the task.
A few days ago, I caught Lottie napping with a smile on her face. Doesn't she look happy? (You know she's a girl because of the ear tag in her right ear. Boys get tagged in the left ear.) I can really start to see the lamb's fleece characteristics about now and I'm pretty happy with what I'm seeing. Life on the farm is all about life cycles and looking ahead and I'm already anticipating getting to spin Lottie's fleece, even though it will be almost a year before she will be shorn.

Sorry about this post being such a mish-mash. It's an indication of my mental state, I think! The weekend is nearly here and right now I'm looking ahead to clearer thinking times.

A star is born

I'm going to indulge in some grandmotherly bragging this morning. Last night my son Chris and I went to see his daughter, Brooke, perform in "Beauty and the Beast". Brooke is 11 years old now and it's no surprise to any of us who know and love her, that she has a real flair for drama. She was wonderful (if I do say so myself) in the part of a "Silly Girl" and also did a bang up job as the knife in the flatware ensemble (you have to know the story to understand all that!) She danced and sang and, best of all, seemed to be having a great time while she was on stage. I'm continually amazed at how confident my grandchildren are, whether they are performing in music recitals, acting in plays or playing sports. I know for a fact that I was not that confident at their ages (and probably, truth be told, I am still not that confident). Anyway, it was great fun seeing Brooke perform and I'm so proud of her.

Yesterday was the first time in ages I have been away from the farm from morning until late at night and when I got in last night, it appeared that things had fallen apart while I was gone. My husband was dealing with a really sick ewe, having trouble with the bottle babies and thought there was a chicken missing. After putting in a very long day making house-calls, he was pretty frustrated with all the problems facing him when he came home. This sort of thing presents an interesting dilemma and we talk about it fairly often. We both love our animals, but sometimes we just need a break from the routine. It is so difficult to find someone to farm sit, or even do feeding chores to free us occasionally. We have mostly depended on my sons and Mike's son to help us out at various times, but they all have busy, complicated lives themselves these days, so that is not the answer. How do other people with livestock go about finding competent people to help out once in a while? If anyone has the answer to that question, I'd love to hear it!

My goal for the coming weekend is to get caught up on the mowing around here. The yard around the farmhouse is going to require a hay baler if I don't get it mowed soon! I hope you have good weather and easy chores wherever you happen to be.

From a tiny seed

A few years back (maybe 4 or 5), my oldest grandson, Coleman (he's now 13), brought a seedling to the farm and asked if we could plant it. Turns out, the seedling had grown from an apple seed, from an apple that came from the grocery store. Honestly, I didn't think it had much chance of surviving, but I planted it out by my garden shed, where I could keep an eye on it and water it, if need be. Last week I was adding some bedding from the chicken house to the compost pile and happened to glance at Coleman's tree. It is now about 9-10 feet tall and, for the first time, it has blooms on it! I'm so excited about this little tree producing fruit. It never would have occurred to me to start an apple tree from a grocery store apple seed. Coleman can't remember what kind of apple the seed came from, so it will be fun to see what the little tree produces.

Livin' the life.......

This is not the view I am accustomed to seeing out my windows at this time of year (and it will be back to reality soon enough).

I'm almost embarrassed to write this post. Just almost. For the next few days, I am living the life of ease. My friend, Teresa, and I flew down to Ft. Meyers Beach, Florida yesterday to spend a few days with my sweet mother-in-law, Carojean. It's like landing in paradise after the weather in Kentucky last week! Now, I love having four seasons and would really have a hard time living somewhere it was warm most all the time, but boy-oh, is it nice to have a few days of walking on the beach in just one layer of clothes! I do feel a little guilty leaving my husband at home to do all of his work and all of my barn chores, but it was with his blessing that I'm here. The sad fact is that it is very difficult for us to both be away from the farm at the same time. We don't have a farm sitter at the moment and, until we find someone who can handle all the different resident species on the farm, we are limited to traveling separately. Sometimes, in the summer, we can call on one of our children to pitch in and keep and eye on the farm, but during the winter it is just too complicated.

It is so different here it feels as though we could hardly be in the same world. We had a near perfect day. The sky was clear blue and the temperature was in the low 80's. (And at home, poor Mike was dealing with rain, rain and more rain.) I'm going to try to carry this memory with me when lambing starts and I'm cold, wet, tired and dirty!!

Handspun on view

My friend, Mary, sent me this picture yesterday. She knit this scarf for a friend of hers for Christmas and I absolutely love it (and apparently the recipient does too). This is exactly how I imagined my thick and thin handspun singles being used. Mary says it is a variation of The Eleventh Hour Scarf that is on The Purlbee post from December 19th (a great source of free patterns). With Mary's permission this is what she did: using size 17 needles, hold two strands together and cast on 11 stitches. It's knit in moss stitch (knit 1, purl 1 across the row) with fringe attached on each end and she used about 150 yards of each yarn. The finished scarf is 6 1/2" x 68" (not including fringe). I really love the look of my bulky handspun in moss stitch. I've knit several items from it using garter stitch, but I think I like this moss stitch look even better. Thanks so much, Mary, for sharing. It makes me feel so good to see something wonderful made from my own yarn!

Now just one more baby Parker picture. These are his little feet wearing a pair of the "handknit by Nana" alpaca socks I pictured yesterday. (Don't you just love how they are able to be in this "frog legs" position?) And to give credit where credit is due, the alpaca roving I spun into this yarn came from Lindy at Seldom Scene Farm. There's a link to Lindy's blog on my sidebar (Loco Life of Lindy) and a link to her etsy store on her blog site. She has some incredibly soft alpaca yarn and roving. I am anxiously awaiting the first harvest of my own alpaca fleeces in just a few months and am thinking I will do some blending of the alpaca and the BFL fleeces to get a truly scrumptious spinning fiber.

This and that.............

How can it be Friday already? This week has gone way too fast, but some wonderful things have happened.

The biggest and best event was the birth of grand-baby #8 yesterday afternoon. He had a bit of a rough go of it in the beginning, but is doing just fine now. Mom and baby Parker will be spending some extra time in the hospital because of a last minute C-section delivery, but should get to go home on Sunday. I didn't get to hold him yesterday, but am going back this afternoon for a cuddle. There is nothing sweeter than that little baby head up against your cheek. (That's his big brother, Preston, watching through the nursery window while the nurse is helping Parker to stabilize.)

It is cold with bright sunshine here today, which is great because that means the mud resulting from all the rain and snow is frozen and not sloppy. I have a little routine when I go to the barn for morning feeding chores. First, feed the barn cats and then put out hay for all the different groups of sheep, lamas and alpacas, feed the chickens and then carry hay out to the donkeys. Sadie, our barn kitten, zips around in front of me to each different field and group of animals, as if she taking inventory. She is fearless around the other animals, even though all of them could crush her in an instant. She runs underneath them and then climbs up on the nearest fence post and tries to touch their heads if they come close enough. It really seems as though she is trying to communicate with them.

Finally, just a wee bit of knitting for the new baby. I knit these handspun, alpaca booties some time ago and am taking them to the hospital today. They seem impossibly tiny and will be outgrown in a flash, but I think they are so cute. I just couldn't resist knitting them. I used the pattern I came up with for my beginning sock knitting classes. I always had the class knit up a mini-sock, so they could get through all the steps and understand the anatomy of a sock. Talk about instant gratification--these little things are just perfect!

Hope all have a good weekend and that you can fit in some quality knitting time. I'm sure planning on that.