Monday Musings

How much I would love to be at the Inaugural celebration today. I thought I would be spending more time in Washington at this stage in my life. AJ was headed for a career in politics. He founded the Morris County Young Democrats and campaigned for every struggling Dem in our area, knocking on a thousand doors in working class towns. He organized all the disenfranchised young geeks and lonely nerds to get himself elected to Senior Class President at his big suburban high school, beating the star quarterback of the football team who drove at Land Rover Defender by four votes (no kidding, this is all true.) But life throws us some curve balls, and the Republicans stole the election from Al Gore. Eight years of Democratic alienation in Washington, but now we're back. Too late for AJ, who joined the Army after 9/11 and got religion when he was deployed to Cuba. Don't know how I would hold up in those crowds with limited comfort facilities. I'm not four hours from DC anymore but eight hours, and I have all these critters to take care of. I'll watch TV and make soap, sew, and catch up on the Sunday Times. We went to B&N yesterday and picked up the January British Country Living. Gosh, I love that magazine. Where else can you learn where to look for cockle shells in the surf, roof thatching, stone wall building and venison pasties (well, I would put chicken in them!)? Everything is country and crafty, with a healthy emphasis on gardening and home decorating. There's a bedstead made from an old door! I still dream about an AGA stove but they cost as much as a tractor, which has to come first. This climate is perfect for them, and they are soooo classy compared to the commercial stoves. Speaking of tractor, Matt is going to look for a Ford 8N that we might be able to afford. It's broken down but he thinks he can get the carburetor worked on. I would have to buy a mower to get those thistles down early this spring, or else I will be overrun and the pasture won't grow. If I don't get mechanized I'm dead. We walk through the barn bent over and banging my head is not fun. Let me get the bottle babies fed. If I'm busy I'm not worrying as much.

Bodie has a Bath

I decided to give Bodie a bath today. It has been years, I'm sorry to say, since I got him in a bath tub. Bodies swims a lot, and he always looks so good to me that I've let the bathing thing slip. He's been itching lately and I've noticed a rash in places. I asked Matt to lift him into the big claw foot tub with nice warm water this morning. I had a bar of lavender in one hand and a bar of tea tree in the other. I lathered him up good. He was a champ and even sat down which made it easier to get him wet all over. Bodie will be 11 in March. He seems to be aging along with me. I was young and strong when we got Bodie - now I'm stiff and ache all over, just like Bodie! Bodie was a Seeing Eye puppy from the famous facility in Morristown, NJ. My friend, Carol, is a nurse at the Seeing Eye and matched me with Bodie. One of his littermates showed signs of a neurological disorder so they decided to adopt out the whole litter. I applied and received this little yellow puffball. When I went to pick him up I had to dress in a body suit complete with booties to cover my shoes. An attendant went inside the dog enclosure and tossed a ball out into the run where I was waiting. One by one the yellow puffballs came tumbling out of the flap, chasing the ball. She pointed Bodie out to me. It was love at first sight. I drove him home with one hand on Bodie who was riding in a cardboard box next to me. I don't know if Bodie would have made it as a Seeing Eye dog. He has personality traits they would never have tolerated in the program like:

1. Bodie has a mind of his own and is very stubborn.
2. Bodie likes to kill little furry things like rabbits and cats if the circumstances are right. We won't elaborate on this because Bodie and I are really on good terms right now.

I don't know how long Bodie has left with us and I don't want to think about life without him. I put one of the sofas in front of the wood stove so Bodie's old bones can keep warm. I take him swimming in the pond as often as I can to stretch out those stiff legs. For now Bodie has the best life a dog can want...including a farm to roam around where he can take a trip up to the dead pile once in a while to find something tasty to chew on.

How Cold?

Mr. Simmonds says it was minus 15 F. (not wind chill) on his farm, a half mile down the road, this morning. I forgot to look. Funny thing, I'm getting used to it. The sheep are hungrier and thirstier. Hard work for the shepherd. I took six eggs out from under a chicken this morning. She fought me so hard I had to pull my jacket over my fingers so I wouldn't feel her pecking. If I left them the eggs would freeze, unless she sat on them for the next few weeks. If chicks did eventually hatch, they would surely freeze, so for now we are eating them. I'm not getting enough eggs to pay for having these lovely chickens, but I adore them. The chickens outside the chicken room lay eggs all over the barn and it's up to me to find them. Not an easy task. Warmer weather tomorrow, maybe up to 23. The big snow turned north and missed us. Okay with me - I'm sure there will be more. Larry and Lester are taking 24 ounces of milk each, three times a day. They are happy and friendly lambs. Wish I could see them eating more hay and corn. Levi is eating both and sipping water. Lemon Eucalyptus soap is on the schedule for today. Kim Parkinson from Ontario is coming to Maryland Sheep and Wool with me. Big relief to know that as she is so smart, talented and capable. Have to confirm our room at the Strawberry Inn. After a long day in the booth that bed will feel sooo good. I'm determined to get myself a sweatshirt this year. The line is always so long and not even vendors can cut the line.

Eric's New Toy

Eric sent me this picture yesterday. He finally got his VW camper - from the Salvation Army! The little munchkins are busy fixing it up. I won't say he was conceived in a VW bus, but his father and I did spend a lot of time driving around in one back in the 1960's when we were happy hippies. I wonder if he will let me paint sunflowers all over it next time I visit them in San Jose? The little family is taking the camper to the beach this weekend for a holiday getaway. The temp soared to 80 F. in San Jose, perfect for the beach.

Carol's Bags

I befriended Carol when we were both vendors at the Fingerlakes Fiber Festival. Carol is from Ithaca and has been weaving and designing textiles for many years. Lately she's been making these incredible bags. She calls her business Crayon Box Designs - aptly named. Her bags are handknit in many colors and designs, then felted. But the fun doesn't stop there. Carol pays a lot of attention to the inside of her bags (something this Bundaflicka can appreciate). The lining is pieced and quilted in incredible fabrics, with pockets, nooks and crannies. I picked one out last September but waited too long to go and get it, thinking I would make some money first. Bad move, it was a goner. Carol surprised me with this picture of a new bag and an offer to barter for my roving. I didn't hesitate! Carol likes my blends with all the colorful bits of this and that. Lucky me!

Still Real Cold

Good day at work today. I played Scrabble with my new student this afternoon. It was extremely gratifying to see him looking up words in the dictionary (the book, not dictionary.com!)without prompting from me. It was one of those "moments." Made my day. It's Friday and I'm waiting for the wave of relief to pour over me. Weekends are not what they used to be, when I had the whole time to myself. Weekends are time to get too many things done. I am much happier this way, but Matt is not. He thinks weekends should be mini-vacations. I totally understand, but I just can't do nothing anymore. Doggies were very happy to see me this afternoon. Our walk didn't last very long today. After their business was done we went back in the barn to start hauling water to the chickens and sheep. The boys were yelling for their bottles. I picked up a new bucket of milk replacer on the way home - $60.00!! It's powdered whey, left over from cheese making. I can't help but think of the pair of work shoes sixty $$ would have bought. But here we are. This cold snap will last until Sunday, when we are supposed to have a heat wave into the 20's. I am watching the pictures of the plane that ditched in the Hudson. This is why I worry so much about Hannah and Luke travelling alone. I know it's safer than any other form of travel, but still...I plan on cutting out/sewing bags and getting some Lemon Eucalyptus soap made this weekend. Rosanna and her husband are going away and can't deliver wood until next week. Hope I can make it through. Gave Larry and Lester their bottles. I should let them out of the pen this weekend, but might make a bigger area for them instead. I only have three lambs this season and don't want anything to happen to my babies.

Ten Below

Minus ten F. (we're not talking wind chill) on the milk room steps at 6 AM. It was 62 in the apt. with the fire out for several hours. Not too bad. Water is running (left it on all night)and now the fire is blazing. Accidentally dropped Tanner's leash and she is running wild outside. Hope she comes back soon or she will be a dogsickle. Big snow storm coming. Hope Rosanna's husband will bring me some wood this weekend.

Looking for Blogs

I'm shopping for more blogs to follow. I like the handful I follow, but most of them don't post every day and I get tired of checking and not finding an update for weeks sometimes. I'm very dogged and loyal and keep looking for them to post. Sockladyspins is the most faithful blogger with the best fiber pictures mixed with wildlife, every day happenings like when the propane truck finally shows up, etc., but even she misses, like when she's travelling out of the country. After Lynne I would say Kimmie at Cornerstone Fibres and Kathleen at Bag of Olives are great at sharing their fibery lives with the world. Considering how busy they are I am really impressed with what they do with their on-line journals. But I need more! I don't like a prissy blog where everything is perfect and the husband LOVES taking care of the critters and is always out in the barn building hay feeders, putting up fencing then comes in and washes the dishes. I would become extremely envious. I don't want to hear about granite countertops, Pergo floors, fancy tiles, and big screen TV's either. That would be vulgar and materialistic. I like a healthy dose of true-life drama, like when the cat knocks down the knitting on the bookshelf and the dogs have a go at it (that's what happened to me today!). I like to hear about success and happiness, don't get me wrong. I'm good at living the vicarious experience! It's just that people who are struggling to keep a farm going like to know there are other people struggling along with them. So if you can recommend a farmy, fibery blog posted fairly regularly I would like to hear about it.

Dark, Dark and More Dark

I don't remember last winter being quite so dark. Ofcourse it was, but human nature is such that we forget, renew ourselves, then deal with it again, refreshed. I'm trying not to think of the fact that I can't wash my clothes...drain frozen and will stay that way for weeks I imagine. I found pants for today and another pair of oatmeal jeans for tomorrow, still in the suitcase from the San Jose trip. Kid drama at work today. Fortunately the new student I work with is such a pussycat he keeps me inspired. I'm not sure inspired is the right word...but he doesn't make me want to escape out the window. Regents testing coming up, stressful for everyone. Winter takes a toll on us all. Three day weekend beginning tomorrow night, what a blessing. Minus 3 F. right now, 7:30 PM. The sky is crystal clear and still with bright, vivid stars. The temp will go even lower tonight with snow and wind expected tomorrow. The barn apt. was not too cold when I got home, even with the fire gone out for a while. We are almost out of wood. Larry and Lester are calling as I open the door from the milk room into the barn. Levi is growing out of his sweater...thanks to that rich mother's milk. Matt is experiencing much success at his job. They gave him a room of his own and let him pick out new office furniture at the training center. I guess they plan to keep him. I'm glad he's so happy with his new career. The way he smokes and coughs I fear he might only have a couple of years to enjoy it. P.S...at 10 PM we are at minus 8 F. Better put the drip on the kitchen faucet.

It's Cold

1 F. on the milk room steps, out of the wind. I thought it would be colder. Two hours north of me it's minus 25 F. The slop sink drain has frozen again, so no washing machine. Matt told me he only dug the trench 6 inches deep for the drain pipe, no wonder it froze. Wonder if I can find something to wear to work today? Easier to sit down and write about it before I face the problem. There is a laundramat in New Berlin...might have to spend some time there this weekend. I wonder if I can fit into Matt's jeans? I'm afraid to go to work for pipes freezing while I'm gone. I'll leave the drip on but I have to clear everything away from the sink so kitties don't knock something in and cause a flood. Okay, it's quarter to seven, better find some clothes and get to hauling water and doing bottles for Larry and Lester. My ewe still won't stand up. I pick her up and her legs are rubber. Gave her selenium with vit. e last night and am cooking her some oatmeal now. Better get Dr. Rachel over here. Probably waited too long...

Baby It's Cold Outside

Okay, it's cold. I got out a little earlier (yes, a miracle) to meet with my boss at work this morning. The sky was so gorgeous, with pink and orange tones everywhere. We had snow last night and the roads were covered and frozen with all the world glistening in the early light. Approaching New Berlin I saw a verticle rainbow, with thick colored stripes, standing straight up from the ground to the clouds. I was awestruck and fumbled for my camera, which was not in any of the 7 pockets in my purse. I decided to freeze frame it in my head, but would have loved a picture. It was sunny and warm in our beautiful new building all day, where they have the BEST hot lunch for $3, cooked by the Culinary kids, (I will be fat as long as I work at BOCES) then back outside to face the cold. Home to build the fire back up and start hauling water to the flock. When it's very cold animals are even more thirsty as the cold dries them out. I climbed up into the hay mow to spread two sheep fleeces out for the kitties to snuggle in. There's not enough hay for them to find hiding places, but the wool will help. After being in the warm apartment my bare hands did the vaso-constriction thing and oh, did they hurt. Had a hard time climbing down the ladder and ran in the milk room to run them under warm water. I built the fire back up again and took a half hour to lie down on the sofa covered with dogs and kitties. It was heavenly. The peasant in me says take care of the animals, put wood on the fire and go to bed. It's dark, it's January and it's cold. Matt brought home a big sheet of ziti from his training session today. I put some cheese on top and melted it in the oven. Funny how running the oven is fine in this weather. Propane tank is full so why not use it. Have to suit up to do chores. The fleece ski underwear Mia gave me years ago is such a blessing. Thought about putting silkies under it but don't think I need it. In weather like this I'm so thankful for my barn. Two of the horses I pass on the way to work have their blankets on. I pass others that have nothing on, and no where to go for cover. So grateful for my big barn where my critters can stay dry and out of the wind...even if it is cold as h-e-double-l inside. I saw Chris Kupris when he came over with my fabric that Fed Ex left on his door step. I asked how he's doing and he said "freezing." I asked again how are things and he said "freezing." I know he has firewood as I saw the pile last summer. Hope he has enough. My first on-line order of fabric is terrific, lovely gold dragonflies on a pinkish red background. It's a little fancier than I anticipated, and don't quite know how I will use it yet. Glad to know Fabric Guru will work out for me. This fabric should cost a fortune and it's pretty cheap...and shipped to me (well, almost). I called Eric to ask him how the kids are doing in their after-school program (fine), and how Annie is doing in her new job (loves it) and how my sweetheart Booker is doing (coming along with no cast but still movement restricted). If I think too hard about my California family I will start surfing the net for good fares. Can't do that! Time to get the chores done and take my doggies to bed. It's a five dog night!

A Very Cold Hump Day

If I can make it through Wednesday I'm good to go. Thursday feels like Friday is almost here. 8 F. at 5 am and it won't go up much. I sniff the air when I open my eyes to tell how recently the fire went out. It was kinda cool in the apt. this morning. Took me 15 minutes to get the fire going again. The temp will dive over the next couple of days. I keep the drip on at night and pray the heat tape over the Peck's tube in the barn keeps the "pipes" from freezing. As long as I have electric I should be okay. My gigantic water heater keeps plenty of hot water ready. We can't have one of those green instant water heaters due to mineral content in our water, or some such reason, so we keep burning money with the old style. Sure feels good in the bath tub. I carry hot water all over the barn now and hope the critters drink fast. My ewe is still lying down, but eating hay and munching on corn. Wormed her, vitamin B, electrolytes in her water, etc. but she's weak. Have to bring a fecal to the vet, but she's many miles out of the way and I'm always beating a path back home after school. I'm being observed today...always a nervous wreck about that, even after many years of observations. With my student population you never know what's going to happen and you have to show what you're made of. My "three F's and you're out" was implemented yesterday not 5 minutes into the class. Gotta get going on morning chores. Larry and Lester are down to three bottles a day. They're nibbling on hay like good lambies. Levi is on his own with mom, but still in the pen. He's sooooo black and pretty. Better suit up good this morning, and turn the Jeep on to warm up.

Kiss the Ground

It was one of "those days," combined with the fact that I made my way home in driving snow on icy roads. So what else is new? I stopped at the Little White Store at the end of my road for milk. It's 60 cents cheaper per gallon than the local market in New Berlin. That's a little under a quarter bale of hay! I have avoided this store for more than two years. It's rather odd looking, with the sign blown down and neon liquor signs in the windows. I have to be careful how I word this and I dare not take a picture for fear of locals misunderstanding what I am trying to convey....but although it's rundown it's very convenient and the people very friendly. They live in the back of the store with two little children who you can catch glimpses of as they play and watch television. The gentleman owner, who runs the store while he babysits as mom works away from home, is very proud of his prices and likes to tell me everything new he has in stock. We chatted a while and he took away the sharp edges from the day at school. Fortunately it doesn't take much, and when I see my kitties waiting for me and hear the lambs calling to me, well, I am so grateful to be home. This "home" is why I put up with the other stuff. Every time I start entertaining thoughts of retirement, I imagine the faces of my doggies, kitties, sheep, etc. and realize I am sooooo very stuck. Sometimes I get tired of the uphill climb I've been on for the last 20 years. There I go, whining again. I drive the one mile remaining as darkness descends on the little valley. I notice there are no tracks in the foot of snow in the driveway. FedEx has not come to deliver the lining fabric I need for the Field Hockey Plaid bags I want to make. I logged on to the tracking post and saw a note saying "no such number." Great! After three years, and plenty of packages, my street number is still not recognized by the major delivery companies. I live in the barn next to the old farmhouse and no one can imagine anyone living in it, and why would they with a house next door??? The mailbox was knocked down and there is no number telling people I am "here." So I found some cardboard and tacked up "902" hoping Fed Ex would noticed. I also called them on the phone. Still no package today. I won't really have time to sew until the weekend, but I wanted to see my fabric!! Maybe tomorrow...I got the stove going, using my bag shims for kindling. Real cold coming tonight and staying for days. Have to keep the drip on tonight...

Bushed

George Bush, the president who stole the election from Al Gore, is on TV giving a news conference with a wrap-up of his presidency. He says, defiantly, that the response to Hurrican Katrina was not slow, that 30,000 people were lifted from rooftops immediately. No mention of all those people languishing in the convention center, and patients drowning in their beds in nursing homes. Okay. Who said the American people get the leaders they deserve? Ben Franklin? I don't know...but when that guy got re-elected I lost a LOT of faith in America. Matt said don't worry, America can survive George Bush, but I don't know. Are we headed for a fall? Rome fell, so did the British Empire upon which the sun never set. America is bled dry and will take years to recover. I am old enough to remember the Greatest Generation that saved the world for democracy in WWII. My father came home to the 6th floor apartment in the Staten Island project and told my mother he bought a ranch house on an acre over looking the South Branch Raritan River valley in Somerset County, NJ, just 35 miles from Manhattan. It was $28,000 in 1958. A fortune then, but manageable on a NYPD cop's salary. Much tougher for kids to get a piece of the pie now, and getting tougher all the time. I didn't feel safe in that house for long, as we were afraid of Nikita Krushchev and the Bomb. My father stockpiled food, water and guns in a corner of the basement in the furnace room. He told my brother to shoot the neighbors if they tried to steal our water when everything above is radioactive. It was pretty scary for a little girl. My brothers were always cleaning their guns, getting ready. I was practicing my piano lesson one day, then got up and skipped down the hall. A giant blast blew a hole in the floor, shattered the back of my piano seat and put a hole in the ceiling above it. Willie had been fooling with his shotgun downstairs and let go with both barrels. That was my big brush with death. My Swedish Opa came out from Brooklyn and put the floor back in. Those were strange times. But for the here and now...chores done at 9:22. I do some things when I get home, like bottles immediately for Larry and Lester, and fill the water tanks for the sheep and chickens. I walk the dogs - Pip and Tanner have to be on leashes or I won't see them for hours - and come back in side to have a cup of coffee and start dinner. I watch a little news, then Matt comes home and I feed us. Around 7:30 we go out to start chores and come in around 9. Granted, I am doing a lot of playing with kitties, lambs and bunnies. That is my playtime with my animals. I am feeding them sheep meat, which I am not enjoying. It is beautiful meat, if you can think of it that way, but I see Andrew and Malcolm's face every time I peel back a wrapper. Mutton has a distinct smell, which is not unpleasant. The cats and dogs love it, but it requires thawing and dealing with bloody juice and plastic wrappers. I'm not sure it's cost effective, as it is expensive to get sheep "processed." I'll be glad when it's gone. The White Boys will miss it. Matt gives them a 2 lb hunk every night, which is gone in two gulps. I have a yearling ewe who is not well. I noticed her lying down quite a bit, but she was nibbling on hay and I moved on. I wormed her and let her be. Today she had her head down, so I made my warm molasses concoction and gave her some LA200 and Vitamin B shots. She got up and walked to the far end of the barn where I found her later. Pulled her back to the front and into the area next to the milk room where I keep critters who need special treatment. She ate corn and bunny pellets (which sheep love but I only give sparingly). I will watch her closely. She's got a gorgeous, thick black fleece and is a very sweet ewe. Maybe she hasn't been getting what she needs. Hopefully I can boost her up. Very tired now. Have to put some pants in the washer and get to bed at a decent hour tonight. Very cold this week. Gosh, it's just January??? Feels like winter has been here for a very long time. The pipes going into the apartment from the milk room go through an unheated part of the barn. They're wrapped with heat tape but in extreme cold, who knows? It went to minus 20 F. when I was living in the RV. That's when my hair froze to the wall when I was sleeping. Glad those days are over. The fire goes out while I'm at work but the apt. stays warm a while. When I got home at five it was 60 in here, not bad at all. I have to get the fire going again as soon as I get home. No insulation up top, thank you NY State who made me get all the hay out of there, and no money to buy any synthetic insulation as long as I am buying hay every week. Let me go to bed and try to forget about all this for a while.

Angora Galore

My beautiful bunnies are waiting to be shorn. Notice the floating fibers clinging to the cage. I can't take too much off, as a real cold snap is coming next week. If I leave the coat on it will clump and we don't want that.

Beautiful Barn

It's been a while since I've walked up the hill to admire the north side view of my funky old barn. I think it's the prettiest barn in our little valley. Wish I could give it all the work it needs. Zoning compliance modifications have to be done to the barn apartment first, front steps (on the back side) then painting and windows. The new fallen snow on the ridge up the hill is so lovely.

Izzy and the Piggies

Izzy likes to tease the piggies. He reaches in their pen and picks out pieces of dung before they can get at him. I am concerned the delicious taste of the dung will cause Izzy to have a momentary lapse in concentration and he'll get his nose nipped. The girls are getting big and starting to dismantle the stanchions acting as the fence to the pig pen. In the meantime, they are enjoying their hay and warm slop. I am amazed at how clean and pretty they are. We throw in lots of hay which the girls proceed to dig into the mud. The hardest part about raising them is getting the buckets of slop to the back of the barn without being attacked by the sheep. AJ had to come to my rescue and managed to save half the warm soup for the girls after I was mobbed. Putting hay out for the sheep first usually helps.

Bottle Feeding 101

AJ did a great job bottle feeding Larry and Lester. I think he enjoyed it. I appreciated the help. We are on four feedings a day. I have hay and corn in the pen for mom and am hoping the boys get the idea - eat real food! It will be weeks before they can go with no milk at all. Matt is glued to the play-off games today. I need his help to do the unmentionable thing - tail docking and banding the scrotums. Not something I enjoy...

Snowy Sunday and More to Come

There is something about Sunday morning I don't know how to describe. I don't feel like I have to bound out of bed and get going the way I do on Saturday, like, okay, I'm home so better do this, better do that. Sunday I linger a bit. I wrapped soap last night until one. ET was on, and so was SNL, so I flipped back and forth. I used to farm out my soap wrapping but am trying to get it done myself now. It's actually relaxing if I'm not in a rush and there's no delivering and picking up. I have the almond and lavender done except for labels - always a problem - and now that my printer is broken I have to ask Matt to do it at work. He hates to be bothered with it so I think I will go to the print shop and pay the 10 cents a page. The card reader on the printer is broken, too, and the little kitty who is sitting on my shoulder now just knocked my camera on the floor and it won't turn on. Oh, Joy, what next? Technical difficulties! Annie bought a card reader from Staples in San Jose that worked great and I could figure out how to use. Have to get one here. I can't blog without my pictures! All those faces and landscapes! After chores and bottle feedings I bit the bullet and scrubbed the bathroom floor. Matt was so appreciative he made me an omelet for lunch. It's the only thing he will willingly cook, and this took ten years to happen, so I put on a big fuss. It was perfect, with crusty edges just the way I like it. I finished Annie's grapefruit marmalade, boo-hoo. Better go back to San Jose and collect some more! I'm going to clip some bunnies and get a dyepot going. I miss the smell of vinegar and fiber cooking. It takes WEEKS to dry in the winter so I better get going so I can send another batch out to the mill before Md. Sheep and Wool. I have 99 pounds of one pound balls ready at the mill now. Need to get some more colors done and dried, and some natural colored alpaca and llama I've been keeping. I'll have them done in half-pound balls. People seem to like the smaller quantities. More soapmaking and lots of bag cutting is on the schedule, then a big football game tonight. While that's on I will soap in my WONDERFUL, FABULOUS, big white claw foot bath tub. I bathe in it every day, and, even if I'm running out the door, I make myself lie down in it for at least 60 seconds. I call it my Ceremonial Soak, to commemorate the year that I lived in the RV and didn't have the facilities to bathe properly. This bath tub lay on the driveway of my old place for a couple of years after Matt dragged it home from a job site. His workers wanted to smash it and put it in the dumpster but Matt said no. I LOVE old things with a history. They have spirits lingering from their former owners. My tub was the home of frogs and insects for a while, now it's my pleasure palace. The shower attachment I want for it costs about $400 (for a cheap one) so for now I bathe British style and wash my hair underwater. I read about Winston Churchill and his bath antics, how he would turn somersaults in the tub, splashing all the water out and driving the servants crazy. No servants to mop it up here, just yours truly. My only complaint is that Matt installed it too close to the wall and I can't get behind it to clean. Men don't think about that stuff cause they are not usually the ones who clean the bathroom!
More snow coming for the next three days. I am used to it now, but HAVE to leave earlier for work. The upstate folks I work with deal with the driving in bad weather much better than I do. Mia's Jeep is proving to be fantastic in the snow, and the hundreds of pounds of corn in the back help with traction. Friday I got in late due to horrible icy conditions and everybody else was there, relaxed and happy. I was so stressed running across the icy parking lot I said what in the world are you doing to yourself, Girl? Calm down, spring is on the way - in four months!

Wintery Grip

AJ and Matt got hay in while I went to Waterville to get feed. The roads were covered and it was really cold, but no sign of the big storm yet. We decided to get cleaned up and go to see Clint Eastwood's Gran Torino in New Hartford. It was a terrific movie, and really touched a cord in us, as pre-politically correct baby boomers. The theater was so crowded we couldn't sit together, so Matt found a seat away from us. I knew I'd find him weepy at the end, and I did. He and I could both relate to the main character, the bigoted and hateful racist neighbor of the Hmong family who gave his life for their son in the end. We were still teary in the line at Panera. After coffee at B&N we took the young lieutenant to the Utica train station. We went in to make sure his train was coming, and were amazed at the beauty of the building. Great marble columns and heated wooden seats built to hold hundreds of passengers. There is an old-fashioned barber shop adjacent to the waiting room. The station must have been built when Utica was in it's heyday. We said goodbye to AJ and motored back to the farm just as the snow started. It's real cold and getting colder. Another storm is predicted for Tuesday. The sheep are cozy in the barn and happy as long as I get them plenty of hay and fresh water. Larry, Lester and Levi are doing fine. Last year's bottle babies are jealous when they see me feeding the boys, and try to knock the bottles out of my hands. They remember how delicious the warm milk was. I called AJ who was still on the train, as it was delayed even later. When he gets to NYC he has to take another train to Grand Central Station then catch one more to Crestwood in Yonkers where the seminary is. I miss him and wish he could have stayed longer. Sure is good to have an extra pair of hands around here.

Big Storm Coming

I love snow, but it can really put a kink in your day. We need to get our weekly load of hay in, which is difficult with heavy snow coming down. It's hard work in good weather. Matt likes Mr. Simmonds, "Fred," and enjoys discussing politics, economics, philosophy, etc. with him. If I have to give almost my entire teaching salary to someone for hay, I'm glad it's a local farmer and someone we like. We wanted to go to the multiplex cinema in New Hartford, get a bite to eat at Panera, then coffee at B&N before taking the young lieutenant to the train station. He was very helpful last night, hauling the water to the rams for me again, and keeping the sheep away from me while I fed the bunnies. If it was up to the sheep the bunnies would never eat. Ah, those tasty bunny pellets! I made a big dinner for AJ and Beasty Boy last night. Had to get over to the Earlville Opera House first to pick up my unsold bags. Much to my delight, three out of seven bags sold. Very interesting...the two smaller $99 bags sold, and one big one at $135. The opera house takes a nice cut, but hey, I love the place. Every penny I took home goes for the hay purchase today. I was amazed any bags sold at all, with the current economic climate, at this teeny tiny show in a teeny tiny town. I HAVE to FORCE myself to make smaller more marketable bags. It's just that I always have so much to carry around, I tend to think of other people having the same load. I don't use a pattern, I just cut. Have to reign in those scissors. I am shopping for fabric on a site suggested to me by another bag maker, fabricguru.com. Wow, what a great tip. They have lots of high-end upholstery fabrics from big-name companies and ship any amount for $5. I had so many fabric sources in NJ but the only good fabric store around here is Joannes. I like to go a little more far-afield than that and shop for something different. Have to sew like crazy this winter. Fine with me.

Holly and Her Lamb

Holly loves newborn lambs. She is guarding little Levi and sneaking licks of his birth juices. Holly always keeps me company in the barn while doing chores, and frequently rolls on her back, rubbing sheep dung into her coat. Once in a while she gets herself in the way of a doe or ewe and I hear a loud yelp. It doesn't deter her enjoyment of the barn and all it's wonders.

Friday Cold and Snowy

Matt picked AJ up at the Utica train station last night and brought him home for a visit. The doggies were ecstatic, especially Holly. She must remember AJ picking her out of the litter of homeless abandoned puppies at the Norwich ASPCA, and bringing her home to the farm. I was living in the RV at the time and the last thing I needed was another dog, but AJ and Mia thought Holly was the perfect Christmas gift. The other dogs would torment her and get her behind the little plastic toilet in the trailer and keep her there, shivering and whining. Now Holly slaps the other dogs down with one paw and stands over them, growling a deep throaty threatening snarl. She's the boss now, but still a sissy when butted by a goat or sheep. AJ took us to Frank's Pizzeria last night, courtesy of the GI Bill, and it was delicious. Nobody makes eggplant parm like Frank, not even in NJ. We motored home in the snow and got to chores. It was wonderful having AJ hauling the heavy gerry cans of water to the end of the barn. Matt will only haul one can ("they can eat snow!") but AJ took three down for me. My Merino ram, Othello, loves his water and waits for me to bring it every night. I was off to work on icy roads this morning, but the sun is out now and the drive home should be okay. I will cook dinner tonight, then chill at home. AJ will help us pick up hay tomorrow then we have plans for Panera and Barnes/Noble. He just got clearance for the second session of Army Chaplain training this summer at Fort Jackson, SC. One more year of seminary then the Army can send him anywhere they want. I want to spend as much time with him as I can. AJ loves the Army, and says he makes the greatest friends he's ever had - but then may never see them again!

Thursday AM

Icy, snowy, dark and dreary this morning. Up at 5, checked the clock, then dove back in with the doggies, reluctant to face the day. If you told me 20 years ago that I would be venturing out on days like this to travel long distances to a job, well, I don't know what I would have done. I like to think I would have done something differently to make my life easier at this stage of the game. Now I'm looking at another 20 years to retire. Gotta deal. Lucky I work in a building that is very bright and cheery with many smiling faces. It really helps. Have to get out to the barn and give Larry and Lester their bottles. It's time for tail docking and banding their scrotums. It's bloodless castration. Now they will grow into big friendly bullies, pushing the girls away from their food, but loving the sight of me because I brought them their bottles when they were babies. I hate to let them out of their pens because lambs are so fragile and things happen to them no matter what I do. Matt left early. He is teaching a Lead-Safe class at the weatherization training center today, first time and he's nervous. He was getting ready to teach at a county college but they found out he does not have a college degree and said they can't have him teach. So Matt wants to go to college now. I told him to go for it, but take one class to see how it goes. So glad I got it over with before I left NJ.

It's the Little Things

What a gift a snow day is...one of the great perks of the education system. I just love it, love it, love it. Just got dressed at 2 PM. I love to wander around the barn in my jammies, easy to do since I live IN the barn. After two mugs of foamy coffee with Annie's world class biscotti, I climbed the ladder to the hay mow to throw down hay. I am still not used to the wonder of it. This giant structure with ceilings to the sky. I close my eyes and I could be in a Viking long house, with all the old beams and hay on the floor. The thick ropes and pulleys they used to bring bales in from the wagons are still hanging from the ceiling. I opened the door to the grain room and found a pile of fleeces from the last shearing I need to sort through, and soon if I am going to do anything with them for Md. Sheep and Wool. I spent a lot of time feeding everybody, staring in wonder at the beauty of them all. The babies associate me with their bottles now, and rush to the fence to talk to me. While I was going back and forth carrying water in my Tidy Cat Kitty Litter containers - just the right size for me - I noticed the water in the sink went down. It's a balmy 34 outside, so I guess it was ice clogging the line afterall. I am wrapping soap and watching bits of movies. I forgot what a good movie Jaws is...with baby faced Richard Dreyfuss and a very buffed Roy Schieder. Funny how they could make a scary, exciting movie with men screaming in terror at each other with not a single F word!! I could watch this movie with my grandkids!! I saw the Jaws shark machine at Universal Studios, years after I first saw the movie and I was scared to put one toe in the ocean. Mia and AJ were four months old when we went to Bermuda for the weekend. Jaws had recently come out, terrifying the world. I stood on a beautiful beach saying to myself, nah, I can't do this. When I saw the machine I thought, what a ninny I was...but the movies is still scary! I carried in a roll of nice plaid upholstery fabric from the Tractor Shed. That building is slowly yielding up it's treasures. I used this fabric for Mia's room in Morristown. It matched her Field Hockey uniform kilt, so I did her room with it. She had a papasan chair, wicker chaise lounge, curtains, etc. out of this fabric, so it really brings me back. I think there's enough for 5 or 6 bags if I'm lucky. I also found the rest of my mother's sterling silver flatware - Strasbourg by Gorham. Now I have 8 settings of butter knives, soup spoons, tea spoons, big serving spoons and forks and even two sugar spoons for my hand thrown sugar bowl! Why not use it, even in my barn apartment. My mother loved to entertain and could lay out a gorgeous table. I'm going to wrap some more soap, cut out bags and maybe even sweep the floor...no, let's not do that. Today is too special for that.

Oh, Lovely

The pipe outside of the milk room froze and the washing machine backed up into the sink. I can't finish my laundry, so no clean pants today. Have to dig through my favorite pile. That sink is where I mix my pig slop, so Maggie is not happy. Larry and Lester taking their bottles nicely. Oh, those dainty little mouths sucking in the nourishment. I mix three times a day and feed them four times. The last feeding I do around 11. The breakfast feeding has to last all day if I go to work. Larry and Lester have their mother's sweet, calm personality. Levi is smaller than either twin, and is more feisty. When he sees me coming with the bottles for the twins, he jumps up and grabs his own mother's teat. Good boy! I love that little "waaahhh, waaahhh" lamb sound...just like a human baby. I'm a mommy all over again! Ice storm going on, every district that sends to our school is closed except one, which means I still have to go in. Oh, joy, 25 miles of slip sliding away. Wait!! We're closed!! Yippee!! Now to get the fire going and get out to the babies...

Tuesday AM

Still too early in the week to see Friday coming around the corner. So cold in the barn - 2F. on the milk room steps. I pulled a bulky sweater over my flannel jammies to take the dogs out and do chores. Felt good but bad idea. I got my sleeve caught on a goat horn and we went round and round before I could get us unhooked. Got caught on a fence panel and the chicken room door before I was done. Have to tote hot water around to moms in pens, and fill the new, smaller water bucket. I emptied the stock tanks and filled them with hay - working great and sheep can munch on hay longer through the day without hay getting stomped on. I have to fill the small water tank many times during the day but water stays cleaner and I don't have to hook up a hose to fill it, or worry about lambs drowning. Hope there is hot water. With our funky electric I can't run washer and dryer at the same time. Had to turn off hot water heater to put my clothes in the dryer this morning. I probably used most of the hot water in the barn, and then Matt took a bath...oh, well, I shouldn't wash my hair then go out wet in 2 degrees anyway. Bad weather coming tonight and tomorrow.

First Day Back

Not that it was a hard day, but I would so much rather be home. Sure it was good to see some people, and I have a good relationship with a couple of the kids, but I'm down in the dumps now. I worried all day about the lambs. I got Larry and Lester to drink almost a whole bottle of milk, with them standing instead of me holding them up in the air - much more comfortable for us both. Lilly would like to be out of the pen, but it's too soon for the two bottle lambs. If she was nursing them I wouldn't be concerned...but I have to make sure they get enough milk from the bottle. We had a meeting after work and I didn't get out of the building until almost 3:30. Drove like crazy to get home, thinking they would be lying on their sides, but they were up and not looking uncomfortable at all. Maybe Lilly has some milk in that one udder, but I haven't seen them on that teat, so I will keep mixing milk. Little Levi is fantastic, up and nursing often. After dog walking and bottles I had to lie down. The dogs wondered why mommy went to bed right after coming home from work, but got in with me nonetheless. Soon we were all in dream land. We were up by the time Matt came home, and I got dinner going. I'll go out to the barn and do chores - it always straightens me out. I have soap to wrap and things to do. I got the cream made last night for Gretchen's neighbor. Four bottles at $10 each, that's a few bales of hay, or a week's worth of gas, etc., and I'm so thankful for the business. There is a "Who" documentary on tonight. I've seen them several times in concert and "Tommy" still rings in my head. Eric was a tot running around the house when I was wearing the new album out. I spent some time in Brighton, England, where the Mods and Rockers riots took place, the theme of the Quadrophenia movie. Should be interesting. I can't stand to see Roger Daltrey growing old - something all their groupies are facing. Annie started her new job in San Jose today. Hannah and Luke started the pricey after-school program. Wish I lived closer so I could help with that stuff. It's no use moving to northern California. Eric plans on running his own council someday and no telling where it would be. Storm coming in tomorrow night. Driving to work is just awful and we are looking at four more months of it...but spring and summer here are just glorious. Father, Pastor, Brother AJ is coming to visit this week. He is spending Orthodox Christmas at a monastery in Canada, then catching a visit to the farm on the way back. He loves the idea of the farm but doesn't like to set foot in the manure. I think he was more comfortable living with 30 Hispanic soldiers in a hut in Cuba for a year. That's when he decided to go into the priesthood. I'm very proud of him. I heard from Libby over in the Fingerlakes. What a fantastic shepherd she is...she sewed coats for every one of my ewes so they wouldn't be cold!!

Knit1 Magazine Blogs

I bought myself a present last night - a Knit1 Magazine. $5 I didn't need to spend but I wanted to check out the knitting blogs they featured. Got a chance to check them out this morning after:

1. making coffee and walking the dogs
2. Bottle feeding Larry and Lester
3. cooking the cats breakfast
4. making toast for myself and oatmeal for Matt
5. bringing in laundry from milk room
6. various other unmentionable things

I clicked on a few wanting to see what constitutes a knitting blog worthy of being featured in a commercial magazine. Some thoughts:

1. It's all about brands. I am so not into brands...just natural fiber yarn.
2. Some blogs were not updated regularly.
3. Some of the bloggers were city/apartment dwellers, leaving so much more time to play with yarn and knit...rather unlike the lifestyle I lead.

What makes a blog that would really intrigue me and keep me a loyal reader?

1. Blogger raises her/his own fiber animals.
2. She is open and honest about the joys and pitfalls of raising one's own fiber and believes that it is infinitely more meaningful to raise your yarn vs. buying yarn that comes from God-knows-where.
3. Adds some personal aspects of her life giving the blog more meaning.
4. Posts regularly so I don't have to wait, wait, and wait for another post.

How would I critique my own blog?

1. Good pictures, but could use a better camera.
2. Too long on personal stuff - this girl needs therapy! I know I make my kids cringe when they read it sometimes.
3. Very faithful posting, always something new to read.
4. Why doesn't this girl give up on raising her own sheep and buy some brand yarn from a LYS (local yarn shop for the unaware).

I kind of like my blog the way it is and would probably couldn't change if I tried...and, aside from a better camera and some basic computer skills - like learning how to post labels on the side and add videos, etc., I would probably keep it the same. I still miss Carolyn D'Agostino's blog, Curlypurl, which I thought was so open and honest with a good amount of fiber and personal drama. She's moved on to other things, boo-hoo. I felt like I knew her from her writing. I love to write and sometimes I have no will over what comes out. It just does. I do tend to delete posts I think better of.

Chores to do, including more bottle feeding. Just what I need, more bottle babies.

Sunday AM Cold and Clear

Fed Larry and Lester at midnight, checked on little Levi (with all the Gaza news it seemed an appropriate name) who seemed to be happy on mother's milk, and went to bed. I thought I would take in Saturday Night Live but it was pre-empted by a football game. Put the new-age channel on the satellite music and nighty-night. Oh, what a powerful and wonderful drug sleep is. I woke up a couple of times, hanging onto my six inches - thanks doggies - but drifted back to sleep. Thought I better get up and mix milk replacer and get the fire/coffee going. Rosanna's hard wood usually leaves me some coals in the morning to help get the fire going again. Have to get another load soon. The twin ram lambs are doing alright and Lilly seems happy and contented with them even though she can't feed them. Lambs don't always take to the bottle right away. You have to be persistent and coax them to nurse. It's awkward for them to be held up in the air, cupped by the chin with a piece of rubber in their mouths. These boys are heavy, too. They took almost half a bottle each. I will feed them every 3 or 4 hours today. I go back inside and cook a two pound roll of mutton for the barn kitties in the morning. This meat looks pretty good, I have to say, and there is no trace of "parts" that the butcher left in for protein. I haven't eaten lamb in decades and have no desire to start eating sheep now, but my cats and dogs are going nuts for this stuff. Heated in the microwave, the pyrex dish is swimming in clear juice...a much nicer meal than the cheapest Tractor Supply dry kibble Matt has been buying. I buy high-end pet shop kibble and oh, does it break the bank. Let's see how long this mutton lasts. I am going to make myself some whole wheat toast and enjoy Annie and Hannah's marmalade, persimmon and grape jam. Annie made jam from some red grapes she had in the house and OH, it's so good. I'm a real jam freak in my old age. Never would allow myself the stuff in the past, but now that I'm fat and happy why not? Life is too short...I felt I wanted to do something with my last vacation Saturday night and asked Matt to take me to B&N. I thought they might have the January British Country Living, but not yet. We ate at Panera where the food is always good and we can eat and bring home a loaf of bread for under $20. The book store is right next door where I can get my stack of knitting magazines, look them over then leave them in the store. Matt reads Fine Homebuilding and Architectural Digest so he's happy. He's being so nice to me I told him he must have a girlfriend. He says I keep him too poor and too tired for a girlfriend. Maybe absence makes the heart grow fonder? They had my next favorite magazine, Selvedge, another British publication, which I would love to buy but each issue is $25!!! so I read it in the store. Funny how we don't think anything of spending $25 in the grocery store for food that is too expensive, but a magazine is out of the question. I guess we can't eat the magazine. Last day of vacation. Back to work tomorrow. I have a new "client" to work with and Regents testing coming up, always very stressful for teachers and students. I will hang a teat bucket for Larry and Lester and pray they find the teat. Have to beat it home fast every day, but what else is new? Next vacation in February. Love the education field - just when you think you are going to jump off a cliff you get a few days off.

Saturday PM

Lambs doing alright. New little single ram lamb (no name yet, I better ask Hannah) is nursing regularly but I don't know how much he is getting. I am feeding Mom hay, a little pellets, and warm molasses water. Don't want her milk to come in too fast but I want her to think Hmmmm, maybe being in this cage with that little thing that sucks on my teats is not that bad! Lilly keeps talking to her boys and can't feed them. I've given them more powdered colostrum but am giving up on getting much from new mom and her tiny udder. I might break down and start the milk replacer. Don't want them to get too weak. Speaking of weak, I am tired. I felt a burst of energy and decided to wash out the milk room. The Milk Room Kitties have been using the room as their giant cat box and I am fed up. I spied one kitty eating a great big fat rat he caught last night so that softened me a bit...but when I found poop on my cookie cutters that they pulled out of the bag, well, I went ballistic. All kitties out of the milk room and into the barn where they will have to find wool or hay to sleep in. The other kitties do just fine there, now they will have to as well. When they start pooping on the stove and shelves, that's it. I will heat up some ground mutton for them. Yes, Frodo, Malcolm, Bilbo and the others came home in the form of pet food. Funny what desperation and life on the frontier can do to you. I was worried I would become nauseous and not be able to handle the meat, but I did okay. I had to eat my rabbits while growing up and now I can't smell rabbit meat without getting sick. I rationalize the feeding of the Boys to the cats and dogs like this:

1. I know where they went and that they were not shipped from pillar to post, suffering all the way from cold, thirst and hunger.
2. They were quite mature and would have died in a year or two anyway.
3. They will help the farm by lessening our hay and cat/dog food bill.

Back to the milk room. I tossed the kitties into the barn and blocked the opening in the wall they were using to come in from the driveway. I scraped up all the poop and swept the floor. I washed the floor with bleach and soapy water. I won't be able to smell anything for a week but at least I won't get upset every time I go in there.

It's snowing now and the news is all about Israel going into Gaza. The world is rallying around the Palestinians. Not me. Some reasons why:

1. My Southern Baptist mother taught me to believe, like most fundamentalist Christians, that Israel has to exist or Jesus can't come back again and raise the dead.

2. The Jewish people had NO where else to go after WWII - not even the US would take them in after Hitler tried to annihilate them.

3. The United Nations voted to give them their ancient homeland in 1948, even though the Palestinians were squatting there.

4. The Bible says that Abraham bought the land on the West Bank to bury his wife, Sarah, and their graves are still there in the Cave of Machpelah (sp?) on the West Bank of the Jordan River.

5. I think the Arab countries purposely did not take the Palestinians in when they were displaced by the Jewish people so they would matyrs for the anti-Jewish cause. Why weren't they absorbed by Jordan or Saudi Arabia, with all their land and wealth?

6. Israel is the only truely democratic government in the area where women can drive cars and hold government positions and don't have to cover their bodies in public.

7. Israel gave back much of their land to further the cause of peace but it will never be enough until "every Jew is pushed into the sea."

I could go on and on. Israelis don't machine gun babies in their cribs like Palestinians do. Israelis make the desert bloom and don't build tunnels and smuggle arms to use in terrorist attacks. They do what they have to do in the open to survive and let the world deal with it.

We need Israel now more than ever. If Israel goes down we in the US are next.

I wonder what would happen if Mexico or Canada were lobbing missiles at our cities whenever they felt like it? Hmmmmm... I never thought I would be thankful for anything George Bush does, but he does support Israel unconditionally. I guess Israel had to take care of business before Barack comes in. They are not sure how BHO would react to a military action like this. I'm not sure either.

Better go check on my lambs. WWJD? I think Jesus would want his home, Israel, to survive and prevail. Omigosh, what a rant. This is what happens when I am really tired.

Lambs R Us

Lilly went into labor around 10 PM last night. I waited with her until 11 when my instincts told me this was going to take some time. We got her in a lambing pen with lovely fresh hay to eat, and she seemed very comfortable. She was "talking" to her womb, so the little one(s) would know her when they came out. I had not wanted Lilly bred as she has only one udder working, but here we are. I set the alarm for 3 AM but my internal clock woke me up without assistance. The wind was howling and snow was blowing outside, but the barn was still and dry yet very cold. Sheep and goats were lying all around, sleeping and dreaming, with the occasional chicken nestled in the hay and rows of them sleeping on the rafters. Thor was sleeping in the door to the outside, with his friend, Monkey AKA Velvet at his side. I tiptoed through the sleeping throng and sure enough, I saw the little white head, then another black one! Great big, healthy, heavy twins! They were standing up and looking very strong. I went for my kit, which I had ready, along with Auntie Jan's knitted wool sweaters, and got to work. Iodine on the cords, snip them short, then sweaters on. Lilly had done a good job of licking them off, so I knew the bonding was done. A rooster sat on the wall of the pen and watched the activity. My excitement at these hefty ram twins was deflated when I found Lilly's one working udder completely dry. No amount of squeezing and pulling could produce a drop of the "liquid gold," colostrum. Without colostrum, the lambs are severely compromised in the antibody department. They won't have the protection from diseases that mom could have given them with this first milk. Back inside and on the computer. By now it's four but I'm wide awake. I'm looking for a recipe for homemade colostrum and finally found one. It required a quart of cow's milk, Karo syrup, a beaten egg, and cod liver oil (which I didn't have). I went back out to the chicken room to find an egg, and sure enough a hen was keeping one warm for me. It was there that I realized I might have some powdered colostrum Dr. Rachel left for me last year. Found it in a zip lock bag inside a tub in the milk room. I knew it couldn't have the antibodies, but I have faith in Dr. Rachel, and decided to use it. Oh, it looked vile, not like the creamy golden ewe's colostrum, but I gave it to the boys, Larry and Lester, in a little syringe. They were still standing up, trying to nurse on the dry teats. I stayed with them a while, then went back in. It was five by now and I was dead. I still haven't caught up from staying up 24 hours to travel home. Thank God I have another day before work starts. Woke up at 9:30 and ventured out to check on the boys. I froze when I heard a newborn baaaa, coming from the far end of the barn. My heart leapt when I saw another newborn, still wet, crying for mom who had wandered off. I needed mom's colostrum for her lamb and the twin boys as well. Got Matt up and full of Starbucks from Annie's Christmas store cards, and her fabulous biscotti. I knew better than to drag him outside without priming first. He helped me build another lambing pen (jug in sheep vernacular)and get the skinny first-time mom situated. She is not the super-mom Lilly is, but I am hopeful. She doesn't butt him away when he nuzzles her teats. I nursed her out but only got a few drops of colostrum which stuck to the bottom of the cup. I am hoping that with pellets, hay and warm molasses water her milk will come in and I can steal some for Larry and Lester. In the meantime, it's noon and I am wasted. I was determined to get to the post office today. Now I have to prepare to leave two bottle babies for the day on Monday. I will work on getting them on the bottle all weekend, then hang a teat bucket in the pen. I don't have the nerve to take a day off after two weeks on vacation, and I have work to do in school. Matt left to go to Louis Gale, where corn, pig mash and chicken feed is half the price of everywhere else. I think I might have one or two more ewes to deliver. Thank God Libby took all the others. She is home all day with her DVM husband. There is nothing like newborn lambs. I love the smell, the feel and the sight of them fills me with warm fuzzies. Lambs are what being a shepherd is all about. Now if I could just get some liquid cold out of those tiny little teats...

Don't Worry, Be Happy

A psychologist on the Today Show just talked about some things we can do to improve our spirits during the winter and this difficult economic time. She said to sit down every day and make a list of some things that make you happy. This will improve your outlook on life within as little as three weeks. Makes sense to me. Writing it down forces you to focus on it. She also recommended making a list of all your financial expenses. I saw my son Eric doing just that. It was very long. He tells me he writes down everything he spends money on to make sure he's within his budget. Good boy! I'm afraid to make a list like that as it might counter the effects of the happy list! The psychologist also said that people who are spiritually connected are much happier because they can weather storms better. I feel spiritually connected to my sheep and my church is in the barn. Speaking of sheep...from now to May 1 I have to work on getting ready for Maryland Sheep and Wool. Thank you, Fiber Goddesses, for letting me in that show! I have to ask AJ if there is a saint for wool, weavers, knitters, or soapmakers, and get an icon for her (or him). Let's see - I have 16 weeks and can make two bags a week comfortably. That will give me 32 bags. I will apply to Colorscape in Norwich, NY, and the new fall Washington County Fiber Festival near Saratoga, NY. Don't know if I can handle any more than that. The Farmer's Market will begin in May - great way to make a little $$ over the summer. Thankfully, I still like to do this stuff...and the soap makes my apt. smell so nice. Let's pray for good health this year. Maybe all those Volatile Organic Compounds floating around the new building I work in will not be quite so volatile this year. 10 F. this morning and snow expected by the afternoon. We are making a hay run this morning. My BOCES boys didn't return, or didn't receive, my phone call for help last night, so I will be slinging bales with Matt and shovelling the driveway. Better go soak the back in the bath tub a few minutes first. Last two days of vacation...it had to end sometime.

Hobbits in the Woods

Eric and Annie took Hannah and Luke to Muir Woods near San Francisco for a New Year's Day outing. Wish I could be there with them but they sent me these lovely pictures. Nice to know they are thinking of me. I visited Muir Woods many years ago. The ancient redwood forest was going to be cut down to rebuild San Francisco after the big earthquake a hundred years ago. Several people got together, bought the woods, and named it after the environmentalist, John Muir. The redwoods are mystical and magical, with fairies peeking around every corner.

Happy New Year

I celebrated New Year's Eve at 40,000 feet. Most of the passengers deplaned at Las Vegas. Eight of us stayed on to go to Albany. We had to wait an hour for a couple with a baby who couldn't get out of Seattle where they have been slammed with bad weather. The airline couldn't find them an available hotel room in all of Las Vegas and place a "hold" on our plane to get them where they need to go. We moaned and groaned until we finally saw them get on board with the tot. They were thanking the crew profusely for waiting and were so relieved. Travelling with little ones can be awful. There were alternating screams and giggles the whole way across the country. I had moved my seat up front to get off the plane quicker, but having been up since 4 am I was getting real sleepy. I left my stuff, stepped over the sleeping gentleman on the aisle seat,and went to the back of the plane where I was able to stretch out across three seats for a while. Lots of people had the same idea. The party people had deplaned at Las Vegas and I confess I was a little envious. They were all dressed up and ready to rock and roll. The Southwest crew had plans to party once they got to Albany. I had called Matt in Las Vegas to tell him about the delay so he could rest.Sill sick as a dog, and filled with more phlegm than I thought a human could contain, he had worked all day and come home to do chores. The cheerful Southwest crew was terrific. One woman had not brought any food with her. The pilot said he knew a place in the airport that made great tacos, and got off the plane to go and get her one! The flight attendants had two bottles of champagne and poured enough for the whole plane to have a toast at midnight! It was wonderful! Annie had packed me a delicious snack bag so I was set. When we landed and they opened the door the blast of cold hit us like a ton of bricks. Ahhh, New York State! Matt was waiting with the truck and we collected Mia's pink suitcases, filled with all of Annie's care packages...biscotti tins, fudge, salsa, fresh guacomole made before the ride to the airport, homemade chocolate chip cookies, chips, etc. We passed a Denys, full of people and the only place open, and had a bite to eat before setting off on the 2 hours drive to the farm. We pulled in at 4:30 am with the driveway covered in drifts. I don't have to tell you the screams and yelps of joy that came from my dogs when they saw me. I finally hit the sack around 5 slept to 10. After a very strong cup of coffee and the foamy milk from Annie's whisk, I donned my fleece underwear and Carhartts to go out into the barn and do what I do. Baby Thunder was especially happy to see me. My head is whirling with all the happy memories of Christmas in California with my babies. I miss them so much I can hardly think of them without tears welling up. They're growing up so fast and someday they will be too busy with teenage things to play with Omi, or spend summers on the farm. Right now I could go back to the airport and get right back on the plane to be with those little monkeys, but I'll keep busy with my critters, which is why I have them all in the first place - to fill a tremendous void. Let me go give Baby Thunder another hug.