Golden

We've had a long, warmish autumn here in the Bluegrass.  Weirdly so.  After a summer of rain just when we seemed to need it, things turned a little dry as summer drew to a close.  Consequently, we didn't have a lot of color and what we had seemed to be mostly yellow and gold.  Then came some dramatic wind storms, with broken branches and leaves stripped from the trees before they even turned and the boat cover ripped to shreds!.  A few days ago it was in the low 60's and when we awoke the next morning there was a magical dusting of snow!

Our visiting lover boy (the Wensleydale ram) is keeping me guessing as to whether he's doing the job or not.  The only ewe I've actually seen him breed is Gabby.  Gabby is what you'd call an "easy keeper" (translates to extra good eater and needs to lose some weight!), so I'm not sure if she'll even get pregnant.  I'm hoping he's doing all his romancing during the night-time.  The ewes cycle every 17 days and we are approaching the end of a complete cycle, at which time the ram will go home to begin the breeding program at Seldom Scene Farm.  I suppose our Rowdy boy will have a chance to prove himself with the ladies after that.

This time right before the holidays has seemed strangely rushed and stressful for me.  You know that feeling of being way, way behind before you ever get started?  Well, that's been me lately.  I've been a bit under the weather with (what I think is) a virus and plagued by poor sleep issues.  After a few visits to the doctor and while awaiting some tests results,  I've decided to just get on with it.  Too much to do to spend time moping around.

Though I have plenty of knitting going on, it mostly cannot be shown now.  What can be shown is knitting that should not be going on, but because I am weak and highly suggestible, I will show you my Lady Marple.  Not long ago, Amanda mentioned on her blog that she had begun knitting a Lady Marple .... and included the Ravelry link, which I, of course, went to straightway.  In turn, that sent me to the stash where there was just enough (I hope!) hand-dyed (by me), circa 2011 Sheep Dreams yarn in my very favorite semi-solid barn red colorway.  I am really enjoying this knitting.  I'm in a groove now with the simple lace pattern and can knit anywhere and anytime without having to think, which is sometimes just what I need.

And, because my life is nothing, if not color-coordinated, this is what I'm reading these days.  I heard Ann Patchett interviewed on Tom Ashbrook's program (On Point) on NPR not long ago and was intrigued by her latest book, This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage.  It's a collection of non-fiction essays and it's so, so good.  I can highly recommend it.

Reading matter(s)

Not long ago, I promised a post on some of my newest reading matter.  It's not so much books right now, but some terrific magazines that are entertaining me.  People who know me well will tell you that I always have a stack of the newest issues out on the table. 

For more years than I can even remember, British Country Living has been at the top of the stack.  It's one of those magazines that I keep years of back issues and cannot bring myself to get rid of.  Last year I started subscribing to Kinfolk, which has the most beautiful design aesthetic.  It really makes you want to step into the pages and become part of the scene being portrayed.  Another really great American magazine is Taproot.  The editor is none other than Amanda Soule (of Soulemama fame).  It's a wonderful combination of food, craft, photography, artwork and so much more.  Kinfolk and Taproot are my serenity magazines.  They are calming and thought provoking to look at (in the same way reading Soulemama first thing in the morning starts me off thinking about something Amanda has written). 

(The Simple Things)

Lately, I've discovered a few more British magazines.  Mollie Makes is about crafts and those who are making things.  The articles are mainly about craftspeople in Great Britain and it's fun to see what is happening there.  My newest favorite is The Simple Things.  The front of each issue declares: eating-growing-sharing-making-living-escaping.....which just about covers it all for me.  I love everything about this magazine (even the advertising is pleasing to look at!) and it's destined to be one of those that stays on my bookshelves.  Handmade Living is another British magazine that I think I'm going to like, though maybe not every issue.  I tend to pick up magazines at the bookstore until I'm sure it's one I don't want to miss each month.  The British magazines are pricey, no matter whether you subscribe or buy on a month by month basis, but I justify it by the hours of pleasant reading and looking I get from each copy.
 

(The Simple Things)

 I have a funny story (at least it's funny now-then, not so much).  Several months ago I decided to order a subscription online to The Simple Things.  It was a Friday afternoon and I filled out the form and submitted my debit card information and was declined.  What?  Wait a minute - it's a debit card, so I know the funds are there.  I tried several more times, with the same result.  So, then I tried with a credit card.  Once again, declined.  Frustrated and assuming it had something to do with the magazine's website,  I quit trying and went out to do evening chores.  Saturday, I stopped at the grocery for a few things and my debit card was declined!  Ack!  I ended up using my Shell gasoline credit card to pay for groceries.  So then, I stopped to get gas and my Shell card was declined!  When I got home, I tried getting into my bank accounts online and was declined there also.  By this point, I was frantic and sure someone had somehow hacked my banking information.  It took several days of phone calls to straighten up, but it turned out that someone in the fraud department (wherever that is) decided my purchasing something online from England was too unusual and that someone had stolen my card numbers.  So, they shut everything down - everything!  I was instructed to alert the fraud department from now on, whenever I intend to travel or make "unusual" purchases.  Considering the fact that I've made purchases from many places over the years, I found the whole thing ridiculous.  I appreciate the fact that they were supposedly trying to protect my money (though I'm pretty sure it was their own liability they were really concerned about), someone, somewhere got a little carried away.  It did make me think about how easily we can be separated from our own money when someone else is in control of it! 

(The Simple Things)

I'm not sure what the moral of the story is, unless it's to maybe keep a little cash on hand, just in case the "fraud department" becomes displeased with your buying habits!

Barbara Kingsolver - Kentuckian

A few nights ago,  my friend Lindy and I went to our local Joseph-Beth Booksellers to hear Barbara Kingsolver speak about her latest book,  Flight Behavior.  I've only read the first two chapters (there wasn't much reading time over the Thanksgiving holiday),  but I can already recommend it.  The characters are so well developed and they seem like people I might possibly know (or at least know of).

She was everything I could have hoped for in someone who is famous and from Kentucky. (Sometimes I get a bit of a complex when I see how Kentucky is most often represented on screen and in print.)  She grew up not far from here and, though she now lives in southwestern Virginia,  seems proud to claim her Kentucky roots.  After reading several selections from the book and taking questions from the audience,  she settled down behind a table and began autographing books for the huge crowd of people who had shown up to see her.  I already owned the book (and all of her other books) but I bought another copy,  as it was the required admission to see her.  As I waited in line to have my book signed,  I was struck by how gracious she was with everyone.  She didn't seem to be in a hurry and took the time to speak with everyone.  When it was my turn,  I asked the question I had wanted to ask during the question and answer part of the evening,  but had deemed a little too off-topic for nearly everyone else in the audience.  I asked her about her sheep.  I'd read somewhere (finally remembered it was in an interview in the latest issue of Vogue Knitting) that she had sheep on her farm in Virginia now and I was curious to know if she was really a "fiber" person.  Barbara Kingsolver raises Icelandic sheep.  She told me that she's not really into hand-spinning,  but loves to knit and is very interested in yarn design.  It was a lovely (short) conversation and I would liked to have been in a situation where I could pull up a chair and have a nice long chat about sheep and fiber and yarn.  Alas,  though she seemed in no hurry at all,  I began to feel guilty about all the people in line behind me,  so after giving her the name of Echoview Fiber Mill (they processed my fiber into yarn this year),  I walked away so happy to have had the opportunity to chat with her.

Don't you just love when someone you've admired from a distance turns out to be even nicer than you could imagine? 

Toasted

So, it appears that my brain does not function well when the temperature goes above 98 degrees.....which is partly why I have been so absent from here.  (Plus, I know you all are sick of hearing me whine about the heat, but here I go again.)  It has been deadly hot here and a significant amount of my time each day has been spent trying to keep my sheep and alpacas alive.  The alpaca boys get a filled pool twice daily, the sheep have a multitude of fans running and I check all the automatic waterers several times daily to be sure they all are full of cool, clean water.  I don't know what else to do.  It seems Mother Nature has decided to push us to the limit.  Our pastures have been toasted, along with my brain, and while we had a tremendous wind and lightning storm last night, we got none of the rain that happened oh so close to us.  At any rate, I know it could be much worse. So many people up and down the east coast and even my neighbors one road over are without power because of the storms.  Thank goodness for electricity and air conditioning!

(Sadly there's no pool for these girls. This weather makes me wish I had a Border Collie again so I could herd them down to the creek, where it is much, much cooler.)

It's hard for me to imagine how I grew up in a house without air conditioning.  I do remember that most of my summer days were spent in the swimming pool at the city park that was just across the street.  Even after my family moved out to the "burbs" (which was maybe a mile away), I was allowed to take a city bus to one of the pools in Lexington.  It was such a different time than now.  By the time I was 11 or 12 years old, I was allowed to ride the bus (alone) to go downtown and meet with my friends.  At that age, I was still sewing for my Ginny doll and it was so much fun to take the bus to downtown and spend my baby-sitting money on as many 1/4 yard pieces of fabric as I could afford!  (And, who would hire an 11 year old to baby-sit these days?!)

(Mara shawlette in beautiful Briar Rose)

I have managed to do a few other things besides adjust fans and fill alpaca wading pools.  Last week I made a very quick trip to the Asheville area of North Carolina.  I was on a mission and drove down and back on the same day.  I'll have more to share about that in the next few days.  I have been knitting on my Mara shawlette, using some beautiful Briar Rose yarn.  (Chris dyes up the most gorgeous colors!).  I'm nearly ready to bind off and will soak and block it before putting a picture here.  Several weeks ago, I finished the Silk Moon Crescent shawlette, designed by Jaala Spiro .  I used Noro Kureyon, because that's what I had in my stash.  I love the way it sits easily on my shoulders.  I think it will be just enough warmth to use a lot during the winter (if it ever comes again!).  Susan Anderson had a knit-along for the pattern and there are lots of beautiful ones on Ravelry to look at and be inspired by.  I'm thinking this might be a go-to pattern for family Christmas gifts this year.  (Have you noticed how many of us are knitting shawlettes right now?)

(actual color not this dark)

(Love the shawl pin - purchased at the Squam Art Fair)

On my drive to and from North Carolina, I listened to "Wild" by Cheryl Strayed.  (Do you use Audible?  They're a great place to download books to listen to when you need to be doing other things.)  My husband loves to hike, but me?  Not so much!  If I ever had any inclination to take up hiking, this book took it right out of my mind!  I just kept thinking, "this woman has a death-wish". It's interesting and held my attention the twelve hours in the car, but I'm glad I didn't invest in the hardback.

I've had a rough start to the Tour de Fleece, but am on my way.  I'll share my challenge in another post, but I'd love to know if you're pedaling (treadling?) this year.

**Once again, sitting in my friendly Kroger's Starbucks using their WiFi to upload my pictures.  You don't want to get me started on my opinion of my Windstream (terrible, lousy, no good) DSL service!

Food Matters

I've discovered some healthy eating for breakfast that Mike and I both really like. I tend to not want to eat in the morning, so finding something this good has improved the breakfast menu around here. I'll admit that before now, I've not been a big fan of granola, but this recipe has changed my mind, and I love being able to make up a batch right in my own kitchen.

The recipe comes from Susie at Juniper Moon Farm. She calls it her "Terribly Inconvenient Granola", but it really isn't that inconvenient. It takes just a little while, since you toast the ingredients separately. It makes a huge amount, so you're good to go for quite a while once you make a batch. We love mixing it with Greek yogurt and maybe a little drizzle of honey on top. It is so tasty and very filling. I promise you, when you have this for breakfast, you'll feel like you've done a really good thing to start your day.

I'm reading "Food Matters-A Guide to Conscious Eating" by Mark Bittman and he makes such a rational argument for changing the way America feeds itself. He advocates what he calls Sane Eating. Meaning: eat less meat, fewer refined carbohydrates, less junk food--eat lots more vegetables, legumes, fruits and whole grains. In other words, eat real food, as opposed to most of what comes off our grocery store shelves. His reasons are all just plain, common sense.

Even though we are having another cold, dreary day, reading this book has me thinking ahead to gardening days. I bought seeds a few weeks ago and plan to start start some seedlings this week. Maybe if I pretend that spring is here, it will actually happen!