Biding our time

Jim Dandy is wearing his spring finery

Oh boy, has this ever been a winter.  Just two days ago the temperature here at the farm was 73 and this morning it was around 15. Back and forth, back and forth.  Just when we start to believe that spring is really going to happen this year, we get jerked back to reality.  That one day of warmth was so encouraging. I wanted to be outside all day, digging in the garden, setting up the lambing pens, straightening up the barn.  Of course, I did none of those things.  My right hand is still wearing a brace and I had to be at physical therapy for my neck at noon. :-(  To say that I'm not happy with the situation would be a huge understatement!  I've always been a person who believed I could just push on through, but that philosophy is not really working for me at the moment and patience is not one of my strong points either, so these last two and a half months have been physically and mentally challenging.  I'm clinging to the hope that warmer weather will bring some relief and then I can get back to normal (normal for me, which I realize is quite abnormal by most standards).

Luna most definitely needs a haircut!

I've had the call from the sheep shearers and they''ll be here in within a week.  I'm excited to see what the girls fleeces look like.  It's a whole year of work for them and me, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they are as nice as they usually are.  Having all that fleece off should reveal the status of pregnancies, too.  Assuming both boys got the job done this year, Gabbie should go first, as she was the first one I put in with the Wensleydale ram and I actually saw him breed her.  Her udder looks as though she'll give us the first lambs in about two weeks.

Aslan will not be getting his summer "do" just yet

I have hopes of getting the lamb-cam back on-line sometime around the first of next week.  Then everyone will have a chance to see the girls, first in full fleece and then shorn with only an inch or so of wool.  It's amazing how much more room there seems to be inside the pens, once all that fleece is gone.  We'll do some rearranging of pens, so that the pregnant ewes can be seen on camera and, if you're lucky, you may even get to witness a birthing!  No matter how many years I've gone through lambing season, I'm always excited and a little anxious until all the babies are on the ground.

While you're waiting for the lamb-cam to come online, check out the workshops we have scheduled for the Kentucky Sheep and Fiber Festival this year.  They are really, really good, if I do say so myself.  We've got some big names that you might expect to travel quite a distance to learn from and some very popular Kentucky folks offering a wide array of classes.  Don't wait too long to sign up.  We've already had a good response and you don't want to miss out on the fun.

My own "Old Kentucky Home"

(morning fog - view from our back door)

I am in love with my own old Kentucky home right now.  We have been having the most perfect autumn weather - warm (but not too warm) sunny days and cool nights (referred to as good sleeping weather around here).  We've had just enough rain to provide plenty of green grass and all the animals are still contentedly grazing in the pastures.  To my way of thinking, it just can't get much better than this.  It's no secret that fall is my most favorite time of year.  (Doesn't everyone love their birth month better than the rest of the year?)  After several summers of blazing heat and occasional drought conditions, this summer proved to be much more tolerable.  Because the weather is completely beyond my control, it feels very much like a precious gift when it's this good.

So, what's happening besides glorious weather?  We had a big event on Saturday when my oldest son's architectural firm had their fall outing here at the farm.  Mike and I have concluded that we need to schedule some big party event (just maybe not always a wedding) every fall to motivate us to get our act together.  While the farm can never be manicured and groomed in the way a city yard might be or like one of the fancy horse farms that are around our part of Kentucky, with the right stick being held over our heads, we can spiff ourselves up a little!  Luna and Marilla had a starring role when I penned them beneath the old catalpa tree for all the little people to get close to and the alpaca boys did their part by coming up to the fence to gawk at all the cars and people.

I've not been doing much cooking or baking lately, except for an occasional loaf of no-knead bread (using the recipe from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day).  It is seriously easy and so, so good!  I nearly always have a container of the dough in the refrigerator these days.  I bake mine in one of my Le Creuset pots and it comes out perfect every time.  If you haven't tried it, you should.  What I'm really in the mood for is hearty soup, so last night I made this recipe (scroll down to the bean, kale, rice and sausage soup) from Heather Bruggeman.  Her blog is Beauty That Moves and she has terrific, healthy recipes.  This soup has become a favorite because it's delicious and good for you, plus I nearly always have all the ingredients on hand. 

On the knitting front - it's all about my Olive sweater right now.  I'm hoping to get some serious knitting time in the next few days in order to wear Olive as my Rhinebeck sweater during the weekend.  I'm so excited to be going to Rhinebeck again, after missing the last few years.  It is my favorite fiber show of the year in one of my favorite parts of the country.  The pattern is Antler by Alexa Ludeman.  It's in the book Pacific Knits and is available through Ravelry as a single pattern.  It's very well-written and I'm loving knitting all those cables on the yoke.  Of course, I'm having to make adjustments because my gauge is off, but what else is new?  :-)

So, what's going on at your house?  Any knitting or cooking to share?  Happy Autumn Days everyone!

A Topsy-Turvy Inside-Out Winner!

(early morning fog coming up from the river)

 Alrighty then!  Today is THE day to announce the winner of Susan Anderson's "Topsy-Turvy Inside-Out Knit Toys".  Thanks so much for all the praise for Susan - she deserves every bit of it.  She's a special person and it's evident from your comments that I'm not the only one who thinks so.

Random.org has chosen number 63 and that belongs to a comment from Ashley (ashleym103) (I eliminated any accidental duplicates).  Ashley,  I've sent you a message on Ravelry and as soon as I hear from you, I'll send your mailing information on to Susan's publicist.  You should be receiving your very own copy of the book soon.  Thanks to all of you who took the time to enter and, if you'd like to have another chance at winning, the last stop on the blog book tour is with Angela Tong on her blog Oiyi's Crafts and is scheduled to start sometime today.

(Luna's always ready for a little extra attention)

So, with the excitement of reading all those comments behind me, it's back to my real life ... which is  tending the sheep, alpaca boys and llama girls and spending my days with my hands on this year's fiber harvest.  I'm not going to be vending at any of the fall fiber festivals this year.  I'm still waiting on my yarn to come back from Echoview Fiber Mill, but I'll be making the drive up to Ohio Valley at the end of this week to have some wool/alpaca blend roving processed, then it will be into the dye pots for me.  I'm planning on an open farm day sometime later this fall and I want to have a nice selection of yarn and dyed roving available.  As always, the hardest part for me is settling on the color palette to dye this year's "Fresh From the Farm Yarn".  After hosting the natural dye workshop here at the farm in May, I'm excited to use as many natural dyes as possible.  Stay tuned for progress reports!

(definitely want to repeat these colors from logwood)

It's also time to be making decisions about which ewes will be put in with Rowdy.  I have twelve half Wensleydale yearling ewes that I think would make a fine cross, but they are yearlings and have never lambed before, which means they'll need more hands-on attention than the older, more experienced ewes. Given my plans to simplify by only breeding a few girls (and the on-going issues with my shoulder), experience may be the winner here.   I'm still mulling over all the possibilities.

Here on the farm, we're moving into another part of the yearly cycle.  In most ways, we're getting ready for the cold winter days ahead.  At the same time we'll also be looking ahead to warm spring days of new lambs and fresh, green grass coming up in the pastures.  (And, unless there's another no-show year in the lambing maternity ward, the LAMB-CAM will return!)

Crazy time, lazy time

(under stormy skies last week)

It's that time of year.  The one when I feel I'm totally crazy for living this life I live.  So, so much to do and it all needs doing right now!  I'm sure I can hear the grass (and weeds) growing and it has rained so much that the ground is saturated and everything is too wet.  By the time it dries out enough to get on the mower and the tractor, another rainy spell is forecast.  Plus, the fiber festival is THIS WEEKEND!  (and, I am so not ready)  I'm giving myself a pep talk.  I'm trying to relax about it and just go with the flow.  I'm probably not going to get any more new yarn dyed or any more fibers spun up or any more felted bowls ready, but I have some fabulous natural colored roving and some freshly shorn fleeces that are lovely and I'm going to have a good time!  New to my booth this year are some really great yarn tools (and you know how we fiber people like to add new tools to our arsenal!)  Wes and Elissha Waltrip have designed some great "yarn buddies" and a very clever and affordable swift/skein winder that I'm sure many of you need to add to your collection. My wonderful grand-daughter, Jordan, is coming to help me again and we'll have time to sit and spin together or knit or just chat, so what more could I ask for?  Well, maybe some lovely weather so all you folks will want to be there at the festival with us.

I am excited about this year's festival.  It promises to be bigger and better than ever.  All the vendor spots are full and there will be even more vendors set up outside.  I'll be in the livestock area, which this year has been moved so that it's adjacent to the big vendor areas.  I'm going to have a few half Wensleydale yearling ewes with me that will be for sale.  Their fleeces are so bright and beautiful, they practically sparkle!  I'm even thinking about bringing Miss Luna along (she's a big girl now).  Come on by for a visit while you're at the festival.

As far as lazy time, that would be what all the animals who live here are enjoying.  Without lambs to raise this year, the ewes are doing nothing but eating and sleeping, eating and sleeping and then, maybe more eating.

(Pippi - all her spots revealed!)

 

No joke ....

You thought I must be joking when I said I had more finished projects, right?  It's for real.  I'm on a roll and hope I can summon the focus to keep going.   I would be completely mortified if anyone knew how many projects I have abandoned so I could cast on for something new.  I'm going to conquer my secret project stash this year ..... or else I'm going to frog a bunch of stuff and quit feeling guilty !

This little hat is knit with Malabrigo Twist and the pattern is one that came free with the yarn at ReBelle in Lexington.  The yarn is so soft and squishy to knit with and I love how the subtle movement of color appears.  It was pure pleasure to knit this.  I think this is another one that will go into the Christmas box.

This one is strictly for me, though I may not get to wear it in this year of no winter.  It's the  'Annabel' sweater designed by Carrie Bostick Hoge.   Lots of people have knit this sweater and you can look at many versions on Ravelry.  I am so loving this sweater.  I want to cast on for another right now,  but I promised myself I would finish up some already on the needles projects before starting another.  This is an easy-peasy pattern.  I spun the yarn from some of my own wool/alpaca blend roving that was prepared by Ohio Valley Natural Fibers,  from last years shearing.  It happens that this sweater is more like a jacket.  It might be a little too heavy to wear indoors for any length of time.  That's a good reason to cast on for another one, in a lighter weight yarn ... right?  I added length to the sleeves,  rather than the 3/4 sleeves the pattern calls for and worked a single crochet edging all around to firm up the edges.  The fact that I am anxious to cast on for another shows how much I like this design.  I highly recommend it.

Wednesday was an unbelievably stormy day here.  Starting around 2:30 am,   we had thunder,  lightning and heavy rain rolling through,  almost hourly.  Luckily,  we were not hit by any tornadoes.  Thursday was a beautiful sunny day without a cloud in the sky,  but we've already been warned that today will likely be a repeat of Wednesday.

Happenings in the barn have taken a turn for the better.  Luna seems to be on the mend and we've had no more chicken casualties.  The chicken killer is still out there and ignoring my trap,  so I don't feel confident in saying it's completely over.  

If you're in the Lexington area and looking for something interesting to do this weekend,  Kentucky Crafted:  The Market 2012 is being held downtown in the Civic Center on Saturday and Sunday.  There will be a group of us doing demonstrations and promoting the Kentucky Sheep and Fiber Festival to be held in May.  Take a minute to come by,  introduce yourself and say hi.

In the air

No matter that the calendar still says February.  Spring is most definitely in the air here in central Kentucky.  It's not just a renegade daffodil here and there that's blooming.  There are a host of them up and glowing in the sunshine.  I just keep picking them and bringing them inside to enjoy because the worrier in me is afraid that one morning we'll wake up to all the accumulated winter weather we've missed this year.  Today the sun is shining,  the birds are singing and,  I swear,  the grass is starting to grow.  The best sign of all ?  I heard the peepers last night for the first time !

The bees are getting a treat today... leftover honey frames from last fall.

This stuff is the bane of my existence.  It's all over the garden beds.

It was a rough weekend around here.  Some varmint got into the chicken house and killed two big chickens and partially ate them.  Saturday night,  I set a Hava-heart trap inside the chicken house and left the chickens loose in the barn,  thinking they might have a better chance of escaping the murderer.  One of the banty hens made the mistake of settling into a hay feeder used for the lambing pens and got picked off.  I'm really mad now,  but am at a loss as to how to catch the thing.  I'm thinking it might be a mink or weasel because it seems to be much smarter than the average stray possum we've had to trap.   As if that wasn't enough,  my little Luna has been feeling poorly.  She's had an elevated temperature for several days now.  This morning,  I'm finally seeing some improvement from the antibiotics and Banamine.   In the meantime,   I've allowed her to do something I'm certain I'll regret later.  For a few days the only thing she was really enthusiastic about eating was Aslan's dry dog food and I let her clean up what he left in his bowl.   Aslan and Luna seem to have a special friendship.  If I don't fasten the gate to keep her out of the pen where he is fed,  he will step aside and let her have the whole bowl.  He doesn't let any of the other sheep get away with that.

Here's another sign that spring is in the air.  Poor Junior !  Remember that song from ' Urban Cowboy ' that goes ... " lookin' for love in all the wrong places " ?  ( Yes,  I do know how much I'm dating myself here,  but it is what it is. )  That's what I think of every time I see him showing off for the chickens.  Obviously,  they are not impressed.

Hey,  girls ..... look .. look ... look  at me !

Hey !  Where's everybody going ?

Happy New Year

Luna asked me to wish everyone who comes here to read about Her,  a Happy, Happy New Year !  ( She also asked why I wasn't bringing Her dinner now,  instead of messing with the camera. )  As far as Luna is concerned,  it's all about Luna ......... all the time !

From everyone here at Sheep Dreams,  we wish all of you a year of good health and peace of mind.  And plenty of time for fiber fun !  We'll see you next year.

Poor baby

(a not smiling Luna)

Poor, poor Luna. I'm trying to wean her off the bottle and she is resisting with all her little might. She is, after all,  three months old now and everyone else was weaned nearly a month ago. I continued her twice a day bottles because she is still much smaller than everyone, ( there's a reason why we call her "Shrimp" ) and, well okay, I'll admit that I love having her still think of me as her mommy and the source of all good things. Next week we will be gone from the farm for a few days and I'm pretty sure my son and his family ( who will be farm-sitting ) won't want to be fixing bottles for my baby. So, the cold, hard reality of growing up is making Luna sad right now. This morning was the worst. To make up for missing out on one of her bottles, she apparently super-sized her helpings of grass and grain and ended up with some, umm, to put it as nicely as I can, digestive issues. So, when I put the halter on her, she was sure it meant play time, out and about with mom. She was very disappointed to learn that it meant getting a shampoo with extra time spent detailing her back end ( and, by the way, anyone who has been watching the lambcam and seen me catching lambs and hauling-sometimes dragging-them out, that's what they were headed for.......a "special" shampoo and a dose of medicine ). In the hot weather we've been having, messy bottoms are an invitation for big-time trouble with fly-strike. It makes me shudder to even say those words.

One of the reasons I enjoy my bottle babies so much is that it bonds them to me in a special way. If I walked out in the field where the adult ewes are spending their time, all my past year's bottle babies would come right to me, looking for a little attention. I love that. I have no doubt that had I left Olive with her mother  ( Miss Bossy ) she would be a nut case, just like her mom. Instead, she's a sweetheart.
( Dare I say, just like me? hahaha.....don't anyone answer that. )

We've got some family coming for  Father's Day weekend and are hoping for a chance to put the boat in the water for the first time this year ( see previous post about work schedules on the farm  ). Wish us luck with that !