Living it up

(Meanwhile, back at the homeplace, Aslan and Peegee contemplate nature)

 I've been absent from this space so long, you might be justified in wondering if I've had a relapse or become incapacitated, when in fact, it has been just the opposite.  If there is anything this past year has taught me, it's that I want to seize opportunities when they present themselves. So, I've been living it up. Sometimes that means stepping outside my comfort zone, pushing on through some discomfort and extending myself beyond what I think I'm capable of at the moment. That's exactly what has been happening this past month and I believe I'm better for it. I've been participating in a workshop extravaganza! Three workshops in four weeks!

(Nicola demonstrates lay-out for eco-dyeing)

First, I took a two day eco-dyeing and felting workshop with fabulous Irish felter, Nicola Brown. Nicola is not just a wonderful teacher, but someone who is a friend and I'll seize any opportunity to spend some time with her. (Mike and I spent four days at Clasheen, her beautiful farm in Ireland, last September, on our way to Scotland, and hope to go back in the future.) The first day of the workshop was spent felting a vessel or purse and the second day was eco-dyeing our felted items along with silk scarves. Eco-dyeing is so much fun because you can never quite predict the results. Nicola encouraged us to bring different plants and leaves to press onto our felted items. I gathered leaves from our Catalpa tree, some sprigs of crown vetch growing on the roadside, ferns and rose leaves. We dipped the leaves in iron water before arranging them on our items, then rolled them into tight bundles and steamed them. The results were fantastic - all different, all equally beautiful.

(the "hinge" is the secret to the bust adjustment)

Next up was a trip to Nashville to Anna Maria Horner's new shop, Craft South, for a workshop on pattern fitting with Liesl Gibson. If you ever have the opportunity to take this workshop, do it! Don't even hesitate to sign up if you are at all interested in making garments that actually fit you correctly. I've complained here often enough so that most of you know, fitting has been my downfall in sewing endeavors. Now I know why and believe I have the knowledge to prevent my mistakes. (Ever heard of a full-bust adjustment?) Liesl also has some great classes on Creativebug that should keep me from forgetting everything I've learned. I can hardly wait to get back to my sewing machine (and I might have made a few fabric purchases in Anna Maria's beautiful shop). Oh, the fabric ... beautiful Liberty, Nani Iro, Cotton and Steel!  It was too much good stuff to resist.

(And here we are, proudly displaying our perfectly fitted muslins)

(a little detail on my muslin)

The workshop was filled with the usual mix of beginning to very experienced sewers. I would guess I fell somewhere in the middle and I tried not to be intimidated. I met some really nice women (Hi Karen!) and thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience. One of the bonuses in spending time with a group of like-minded women is the generous sharing of information and sources. It was also a joy to spend time with Anna Maria, Liesl, and the young women who work for Anna Maria (Pierrette and Anna Michelle).

(here's a hint)

As soon as the Nashville workshop was over on Sunday afternoon, I loaded my car and drove straight to Sewanee, Tennessee. Until recently, I had never even heard of Shakerag. Cal Patch taught there last year and it was her blogging about it that got my attention. Here was an incredible workshop resource within 4 1/2 hours of home!  I'll save the details on my week-long natural dye workshop for next time and I promise it will appear in this space within the next week. (I promise!)

I have been overwhelmed with catch-up work since my return. Of course, Mike kept all the animals alive while I was gone, but this is an extremely busy time of year for him, so not much else was done. I spent all day Monday mowing. The garden has a glorious assortment of healthy weeds. (Have I mentioned how much I hate wild morning glories?) and I'm not at all sure I will ever catch up with the laundry and ironing, not to mention filing all those patient records. It is taking all the discipline I possess to stay away from the sewing machine and the dye room until I can bring some semblance of order to the rest of my responsibilities.

(Then there's Midgie, always looking for a little attention)

Checking in - finally!

*(Won't be long till shearing time-I'm trying to ignore the vegetable matter)

Apparently, I decided to take a break from blogging, though it was not a conscious decision, as such.  I've considered coming to this space at least once a day and then somehow never made it. It's not that I've been particularly busy, though life on the farm never seems to be really slow. I've been thinking a lot and that takes a fair amount of energy!

The holidays are behind me and right now, it seems that they barely happened. No more shortened work weeks for Mike and I can feel what is left of January and February stretching out before me.  At the moment I have a to-do list that needs to be accomplished before mid-March. It's a long list, to be sure, but there is plenty of motivation to get things done. I'm currently scheduled for knee surgery on March 16 and will be physically out of commission from my regular life for at least a few months (no driving for 6 weeks! Is that even possible?). I don't have an accurate picture of what those months will look like, except that there will be plenty of physical therapy.

I am one of those (among many thousands) who recently read a little book titled 'The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up'. (Ha-evidently, I'm not alone. Amazon is currently out-of-stock!) I'll admit to some skeptical eye-rolling while reading it, but something about it has lit a fire under me. I've been on a mission to clean out, sort, purge, donate, organize and dispose of an untold amount of stuff.  It started with the decision to move my dye room out of the studio and into a storage room in the barn.  I didn't feel free to make a mess with dyeing in the studio. I was afraid of spilling dye on the tile floors (for the record, I hate tile floors-they are deadly to glass bottles and my back). In order for the move to take place, I first had to empty the storage room. If I'd known how bad that would be, I might not have suggested it in the first place! Now that it's mostly done, I can say it was a good thing. I've been forced to sort through pictures, much ephemera from both mine and Mike's past lives, thousands of photos and stuff that should have been never put in there in the first place. I told friends before the holidays that what I truly wanted for Christmas was a dumpster! (That didn't happen.) Mike moved the big commercial stainless steel sink from the studio and installed it in the barn dye room.  I've repainted the walls, scrubbed the floor, brought in shelving, moved all my dye-stuffs, undyed yarn and brought in last year's fleeces (which are also on the list to be taken to the mill before March 16). As I told my friend, Diane, I can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear because it is, after all, a room in the barn and so I'm going to feel free to make many messes in it!

Another activity that has been occupying me is sewing. Just before the holidays, I bought a new Bernina and have taken a few classes at Q-Quilt First Kentucky. It's been fun to get back into sewing.  I haven't felt a great deal of confidence and the new machine has been slightly intimidating, but I'm starting to feel more comfortable with her and ready to get started making myself some clothes. I'm a terrible clothes shopper, hate going to the mall, never know what size to order on-line, so this seems like a totally reasonable pursuit!

*(Aslan is on the job!)

Animal-wise there is nothing new around the farm. Well, except for Mike declaring all-out-war on the starlings that are determined to nest in our barn and all the farm equipment. He's gone from boarding up every opening possible, to covering the tractors and bobcat with bird netting, trying to shoot them (they are much too clever) to now having a recording of starling distress calls and hawks screaming that plays 24/7 in the barn. I worried that the other animals would be as disturbed as I am by hearing it, but they seem to pay absolutely no attention to it. Even the chickens and peacock seem oblivious (though to be fair, chickens are often oblivious). I'll let you know how this plan plays out!

*(Carson loves napping in the studio bathroom sink)

 Instagram is my new best friend. I nearly always have my phone with me while I'm feeding and I take pictures all the time. They are not beautiful pictures, but do depict every day happenings here. It's a little dose of instant gratification to post something and see what other folks are up to in their daily lives. You can follow me by clicking on the link on the sidebar and see what the animals are doing nearly every day.

*(Carson is also on the job-when he's not napping!)

On the knitting front, I have a few things that I need to take photos of before I can post. Post-surgery should allow me plenty of knitting time, so am thinking of something big I can work on start-to-finish, maybe an aran sweater. I've been enjoying keeping up with Karen Templer of Fringe Supply Co, working on the KAL for her Amanda sweater. Her sweater is gorgeous and is just the kind of sweater I know I would wear forever. Often, I have difficulty staying faithful to a big project, so we'll see how that unfolds.

So, that's a bit of a catch-up.You see, you haven't missed much by my not being here for a while! I'll try to make things a little more interesting before I'm back here again.

*Just in cast you were wondering, none of these photos have anything to do with this post.  I just thought you all might like to see a few of the usual suspects. 

Waiting

( Almost dinner time )

( Poor Buddy - it's exhausting to be in charge of all these pregnant girls )

  We are in a little lull at the farm right now.  There's not much happening but the ordinary, day-to-day barn chores;  feeding hay in the mornings,  feeding hay and grain in the evenings,  cleaning out the automatic waterers,  keeping clean bedding down for the teenagers (nearly one year old ewe lambs), feeding the dogs and cats,  feeding the chickens and collecting the few eggs they are giving us at this time of year.  Those are all mundane tasks, but they add a certain rhythm to my day.  I still have the washing, ironing, cooking and cleaning stuff to do, but the animal related chores are the framework everything else fits into.  I sometimes wonder how it would be to not have those animal chores on my schedule.  At this point in my life,  I simply can't even imagine.  I know the day is coming,  sooner rather than later,  when I won't physically be able to do the heavy work that shepherding requires.  I hope when the time does come,  I am able to focus my energies on something as personally rewarding as what I do now.

I have been thinking a lot about shearing and lambing.  Usually,  that happens earlier than it will this year.  I purposely decided to start lambing a little later,  so the weather would be warmer and the grass starting to come on.  ( Little did I know that winter wasn't going to make much of an appearance this year. )  I'm hoping that shearing day will be pleasant because I would really like to have a "Shearing Day" event here at the farm.  Something very casual.  Maybe a come-on-down if you feel like it sort of event.  Maybe even a potluck meal for anyone interested in participating.  I'll know more as we get closer to the time and will issue the invitation here,  if I manage to get my act together.

(  the ears crack me up - they're like antenna........always scanning )

In the meantime,  these pictures are what you'd see a lot of,  if you were to stop by.  Nearly all of us just lying around,  waiting for our next mealtime !!

Up and at 'em

Things are better around here this week ... on several fronts.  I am on my feet and the crutches have retired to the garage attic once more.  I'm thrilled that I was able to get back up and running ( so to speak ) so soon.  This time last week,  I wouldn't have wanted to put any money on how long it would take me to resume my regularly scheduled program.  Any other time,  I might have taken advantage of an excuse to stay couch-bound ( with knitting time ) as long as possible,  but the wedding to-do list waits for no one!

Remember her?  It's little Olive!

Best of all,  we have had rain.  Beautiful,  slow,  all day rains.  The grass is green again after being given up for dead.  All humans and animals are much happier,  even if it does mean I'm back on the mower.  The only down-side to the rain is that the greenhouse construction is not finished.  The builder still says it will be done before the wedding.  I have my doubts,  but at this point,  I'm not going to stress about it.

Holly standing - Aslan reclining

So,  how about a Holly and Aslan report?  They are best buds.  Holly goes in to Aslan's field once or twice a day to visit,  maybe have a little romp,  and then back to her group of ewes,  who are still in the "outfield".   Aslan is still with the little girl lambs,  plus Strawberry and Pippi,  and is doing great.  His first day here,  he barked at the llamas because he'd never seen anything like them before,  but once he was in the field with them,  he accepted that they were a normal part of his new world.  Great Pyrenees are sometimes a little weird about their routines and surroundings,  but Aslan has adapted very,  very well.  Our dear,  sweet Holly is probably the weirdest LGD  ( Livestock Guardian Dog ) I have ever owned and having Aslan here has made it even more obvious.   That's okay.  We love her anyway!

Joining forces

( That's Aslan on the inside and Holly on the outside. )

Our security staff had a meet-up today and decided to work as a team.  I am happy to report that Aslan and Holly are doing well together.  Holly goes to visit in the field where Aslan and his girls are staying.  So far,  he has not realized that he could follow her out,  if he chose to.  Aslan was raised on a farm with electric fencing and he is respecting our woven wire fencing,  which is just how I was hoping he would react.  So far, so good.

( Those two white objects are on duty. )

Thanks to an impressive cold front and remnants of hurricane Lee,  we have finally gotten much needed rain and a drastic cool off in temperature.  We are an unbelievable 40 degrees cooler than we were two days ago !  Already,  there are hints of green in the pastures again.  Ah,  Kentucky weather.  Always interesting.

It's a boy!

He's such a handsome boy

A boy dog that is.  Aslan has come to live at Tanglewood Farm.  In my whole dog-owning life,  I've only owned three male dogs.  About a hundred years ago,  I had a male mini-Schnauzer and then,  in the not so distant past and at different times, I've adopted male Great Pyrenees from friends who were selling their sheep and needed a working home for their dogs.  Sadly,  friends of ours have sold their flock this week,  due to health problems,  and asked if we would take their dog.  We already knew he was a great dog because Mike has been his veterinarian since the beginning.  So,  we were more than willing to try him.

Aslan has been here since Monday night and most of that time,  unless I could be out with him and supervise,  I've kept him in his kennel in the barn aisle,  next to where the lambs spend the night.  My hope is to bond him to my "keeper" group of ewe lambs,  so they will have protection with them all the time.  Right now, the adult ewes are in the "outfield",  the most distant pasture from the barn.  Poor Holly has been going back and forth,  back and forth,  trying to keep an eye on everyone.  I think she's been nervous about having everyone scattered about.  So,  reinforcement has arrived.  This morning, Aslan went out with his girls and,  cross my fingers,  it's going well.  Apart from a little bit of romping around in the beginning,  which scared those silly little girl lambs into running away,  he has settled and seems happy to be back with sheep again.  The worst part is that it is predicted to be 97 degrees today.  They all have access to the barn,  plenty of cool water to drink and all the barn fans are running on high,  so they will be as comfortable as is possible in this kind of weather.

Our pastures have reached the extra crispy stage and we are praying that the front coming through late this weekend will bring us rain.  Otherwise,  it looks as though I'll start feeding hay much,  much earlier than usual. 

This holiday weekend means we have an extra day to work on wedding preparations.  I'm starting to feel a little ( more like a lot ) anxiety about all that remains to be done,  but I suppose the wedding will happen and it will turn out fine,  no matter what's left on the to-do list.  Seems somehow ironic that this is the Labor Day holiday !

We are so (not) cool

Trying to stay cool has been a full time job around the farm lately. We did have a bit of a break over the weekend, but the weather forecast shows us heading back into the mid-90's in the next few days. We all have our ways of coping, as best we can. The animals move as little as possible during the daylight hours and do their grazing at night. There are four fans running in the barn right now and that is where they hang out during the day. Last week, I kept noticing that the automatic waterer that's shared by the llama/alpaca pen and the lamb's pen was filthy every evening when I brought the lambs in for the night. Sheep do not like dirty water and will not drink from it. It took me a while to figure out what was going on. The alpacas were cooling themselves by putting their feet in the waterer and splashing water all over the place. Yesterday I found a tub that we used before the waterers were installed and pulled it into the back barnyard. I filled it full of water and stood back to watch. Prince, who is the boldest one of the herd, stepped right in and tried his best to figure out a way to lay down. Failing that, he stood in it and splashed water until the tub was nearly empty. Next thing I know, they'll be requesting a swimming pool!

Holly moves around all day looking for a cool place to catch a nap before her night-shift begins. The cemetery rock is a favorite spot because it's shady all day and I'm sure the rock feels cool on her stomach. Plus, it's a great vantage spot for keeping an eye out for any predators. An elderly woman who grew up in the big log cabin that stood on our house site (before it burned down), told us about all the different people buried on that spot. They were her ancestors and she had a story for each of them. When we bought the farm, there was only evidence of one grave marker, so when this huge rock came up out of the ground when our farm road was rebuilt, we decided to use it to mark the cemetery. The rock forms a natural seat and is a great imaginary stage or boat or mountain for the grandkids (and a wonderful observation platform for Holly).

I hate to wish my life away, but I'm already dreaming of cool autumn days and nights. Hope you are staying cool, wherever you are!

Audrey

Well, I've done it again. I know better than to say things like "always" and "never". As in I will never again try to rehabilitate an adult Great Pyrenees. Two weeks ago we got a call from a nice lady who had mistakenly been told we were associated with Great Pyrenees rescue (!). She had taken an adult female Pyrenees from a shelter in Virginia because she was scheduled to be euthanized the next day and was now looking for an appropriate home for her. We went to look at her the next day and, as they say, the rest is history. (That "just going to look" gets me in trouble every time!)

Audrey came with enough issues to cause most sane people to say "sorry, but no thanks". The story is that she was on the loose for several months and was finally brought in to the shelter nearly starving. When we brought her home with us, we discovered that she was pregnant and had far too much interest in our chickens. I admit that the first few days she was here, I had doubts that I could manage her. She was keenly interested in the chickens and when I took her out with the sheep, she worked the fields like a bird dog on the trail on something exciting, though not in any way threatening to the sheep. When she acted too enthusiastic around the lambs, the ewes corrected her and she immediately learned to respect them. At this point, we've made great progress on curbing her desire to chase the poultry (though I'm not ready to trust her for long periods of time, unsupervised). She and Holly are beginning to bond, which will be good for everyone. She is an incredibly sweet, sensitive dog and we're really hoping she will make a place for herself here.

The picture above was taken on the way in for surgery today. We decided to spay her now rather than allow her pregnancy to continue. Because she was on the loose for so long, there was absolutely no predicting what sort of dog might have bred her. It may seem cruel to some, but the idea of bringing a litter of puppies into the world that likely no one would want seemed infinitely more cruel. We felt Audrey had physically suffered enough and needed to be nurtured back to health, without the further strain of feeding a litter of puppies. So, as I write this, she is sleeping in the kennel in the barn and hopefully on the road to gaining back her health.

I am not so soft hearted as to take in every animal that comes along, but something about Audrey touched both Mike and me. We're going to do our best to give her the home she needs.

Looking on the bright side

I'm making a conscious effort today to look on the bright side. It's been making me slightly crazy that the contractors have not been back since they poured the footers for the studio building at the beginning of last week! Is it any wonder contractors have such bad reputations? I can work myself into a really negative frame of mind, if I dwell on it, so I'm not. I decided when I woke up this morning, I was going to do some things I've been wanting to do. The sun is out, it's supposed to be in the upper 60's and I'm going to enjoy this day. So there!

I spent several hours hanging out around the barn after I finished the morning feeding routine. I set up a table in the barn aisle, got out my dye equipment and got two batches of roving started. I've done laundry and hung it outside in the sunshine (is there anything better than sun dried, sweet smelling laundry?) and have just now put my first ever CVM fleece in to soak. I've already decided we are having stir-fry for dinner and don't have to think about that anymore til it's time to prepare it. So, I think that's a pretty good start to my day!

one of the banty hens working on her tan

One of the fun things about just being around the barn is observing all the action and reaction taking place. When I feed the chickens in the morning, they usually stay inside until they have polished off their layer crumbles and cracked corn, but the last few days, as soon as I open their little door to the outside, they are lined up and jostling each other to get outside immediately. They head to the inside of the barn and start flinging bedding around in the sheep pens. When they've got it all rearranged to their own satisfaction, they work their way down to the garden (where nothing is planted yet) and spend most of the afternoon scratching around. I can tell they are really happy because they keep up a constant clucking and chattering. I love hearing that!

The ewe on the right is the first one due to lamb and the one of the left won't be far behind. I'm so anxious to see the lamb crop that Ollie has produced. Color and crimp are what I'm hoping for.

By the way, if you're wondering what happened to Penny, here's the report. Penny ran off at the first opportunity and after weeks of searching and calling animal control, she turned up several miles away. I called her previous owners and met them there and it took them an hour to get their hands on her. We decided that Penny was not going to work for us, so she's back in her original home and much happier, I suspect. So, we are still looking for another guardian to join Holly and thinking we want to start with a puppy who will adapt better to a new home.

I hope you all have sunshine and happy days for your weekend!

February Friday farm scenes

At last, a ray of sunshine coming our way. Boy, have we ever had the gray, snowy days of late and it's almost shocking when the sun finally makes an appearance. This winter weary person is craving sunshine and warm temperatures enough that I can almost fool myself into thinking it feels a little like spring out there today....at least enough to make me pull off the wool hat and work gloves while I was feeding this morning. I know better though. Just as soon as I start feeling relieved that winter is over......here comes the snow again. (The weatherman says it may be coming back this weekend.)

Last weekend, Mike and I went to meet a Great Pyrenees who was looking for a new home. She's a beautiful dog and is going to grow up to be much bigger than our Holly. We brought her home with us and I've spent a lot of time this week trying to acclimate her to our farm and animals. At this point, I'm just not sure if she is going to work out. She and Holly have become friends and that is helping, but she's still awfully skittish. Her name is Penny and she's eleven months old and being that old is part of the problem. She's never known anything but the farm where she was born, so the transition is not as easy as it might be for a young puppy. One good thing is that her former owners will happily take her back and they do have some eight week old puppies available. I'm a fairly patient person when it comes to dealing with my animals, so I'm not quite ready to give up on her. I think she looks sad and worried and I want her to be happy here. So, we'll just have to hope she settles in and starts to think of this place as home.

Holly and Penny heading off to "work".

The weekend. How is it possible that it's here again so soon? Nothing big planned for this weekend, but that's the way I like it. Hope your weekend is the way you like it, too.