Quilt Bug

I finally got to check out the quilt shop in Esperance, NY. I've passed it many times on the way back and forth from the airport in Albany. I got there just in time after taking Hannah, Luke and Annie yesterday. I was able to get the triangle template I needed and some good advice from the owner of the shop. She told me to spray the washed quilt fabric with starch or sizing while ironing to give it some body. She also showed me how to fold the fabric in quarter width strips before cutting. It beats tracing each and every triangle by hand. If only I could find my Olfa cutter and mat I would really be in business. I really have to make some small hand creme jars for Saturday's market. Luckily, they sell very well. At $5 a jar it's a pretty good deal. Funny, I remember my first tiny can of Bag Balm, purchased at the quilt shop in Basking Ridge, NJ, years ago. Now I'm making my own quilter's balm, but calling it Shepherd's Friend, not Quilter's Friend. Life does take us on some twists and turns...

Bye, Bye For Now

It was a sad goodbye today at Albany International Airport. Annie took her children home to San Jose to pack for their exciting move to Flower Mound, Texas. I was so sad to see them go but have so much fun to reflect on. Annie and Eric have bought a big beautiful home in a lovely Dallas suburb, with lots of fancy stuff, much more space, and a yard that boasts a pool, a stream, a side yard for Booker the English Pointer, and big mature trees for Luke to build a tree house. I have much to be thankful for. I'm so lucky Annie and Eric let them come to me for so long.
I'm so lucky I have a teaching job which gives me two months off to devote to my grandchildren and my farm.
I'm so lucky I could give Eric and Annie the freedom to devote to the Boy Scout Jamboree which showed what a power couple they are and helped Eric get the big promotion to the National Boy Scout staff.
I'm so lucky I live in such a beautiful place with the pond, the waterfall, lovely fields and forests for us to play in.
I'm so lucky to have such fantastic, fun-loving, happy, polite grandkids who are just SO easy to keep and love.
I can't wait until we are together again soon.

One More Swim

What did we do on our last day together for the summer? We went to the waterfall, ofcourse. It was the best way to end our wonderful month together. Mary managed to pull herself away from her busy schedule to spend a few minutes swimming with us. We haven't seen as much of her this visit. The waterfall will loom large in our memory of this hot, sunny summer.

Finn the Wonder Dog

Andrew and Mia brought their dog, Finn, my future dog-in-law, to visit this weekend. We took Finn to the waterfall where he enjoyed the water from the shore and helped Andrew take pictures. Finn is very adventurous and Andrew was reluctant to let him roam for fear he would be lost in the wilds of upstate New York. Finn did enjoy himself and loved climbing on rocks in the waterfall gorge.

Big News!

My son, Eric, Hannah and Luke's father, has been promoted and will move his family to the Dallas, Texas area where he will join the National Boy Scouts of America staff. Eric will be in charge of the creation of a 10,000 acre permanent Boy Scout facility and adventure center on the New River in West Virginia. The New River facility will replace the current BSA Jamboree site at Fort AP Hill, Virginia. This is a big deal for Eric and his family and we are very proud of him. Part of his job will be to raise 20 million dollars to augment the 50 million dollar gift from the Bechtel Family. If anyone can raise 20 million Eric can. He is one smooth operator. Eric and Annie are currently house shopping in the Dallas area. Here they are looking at pictures Eric sent from Flower Mound, Texas, a suburb of Dallas, of a beautiful, palatial brick house with mature trees and a swimming pool. Annie will fly home with the kids and pack up their San Jose house and get the family and pets ready to move before school starts. I'm very proud of Eric and his success in the Boy Scouts.

Annie Get Your Shovel

Annie and I tackled the ongoing barn-poop-shoveling job today. Uncle AJ, Luke, Hannah and I started it a month ago, then Mia picked up the shovel and dug with it, then Annie continued the quest to expose the buried concrete floor. I confess she shoveled me under the table. I gave up loosening and hoisting the heavy wet manure and took over the wheel barrel end, running what Annie dug up outside to the future garden pile. Now I have a lovely, clean concrete corridor all the way into the apartment. We'll have to get machines in to clean the main part of the barn. With four years of poop pack we are in deep doo-doo.

Luke the Fossil Hunter

Luke loves to hunt for fossils in the waterfall creek bed. He's found some amazing things and has a nice collection to take back to California with him.

"You Guys are Nuts!"

Yes, this is the exclamation Annie made when she first ventured into the freezing cold waterfall pool. The water was the coldest I've experienced this summer. I swam for a while along with Mia, Luke, Hannah and Annie. Andrew opted to take pictures and stay dry, clever fellow.

Company Coming

The Young Couple, Mia and Andrew, are coming for the weekend. Annie has never met Andrew, and we wanted to spend some quality time with Auntie Mia before Annie and the kids fly back to California on Wednesday. The weather has turned windy and cool, but we will brave the freezing cold of the waterfall just to show how tough we all are. We will sleep in Mary's camper at the pond Saturday night and have our "last hurrah" of summer.

Airport Run

We almost made it to Albany International Airport on time. Fifteen minutes away Annie called to say she had her bag and was waiting. She flew in from the future Boy Scout Jamboree site on the New River in West Virginia where she and Eric had traveled from the current site at Fort AP Hill in Virginia. Mom and kids are happily reunited after a month apart. Annie will stay here on the farm until Wednesday when all three will fly home to California. After a quick hello to the pigs and ducks I made mac/cheese, hot dogs and beans for lunch. Annie is grabbing a nap while Luke and I do some chores, then it's over to the waterfall. This should really be interesting, since it's very windy and cool today. Annie is coming from daily 100 plus temps in Virginia and we're going to dip her in freeeeezing NY State water.

More Goat Shearing

I caught this little guy last night, after weeks of plotting. He's real quick and smart and was good at avoiding capture. Hannah and Luke have been holding the goat kids for me to clip. The light is so much better in the apt. and we have the fans running to help keep goat and human more comfortable. I have some nice kid mohair to play with. I think I will blend it with angora rabbit and BFL lamb wool for an extra special run.

Boy at Rest Tends to Stay At Rest - Boy in Motion...

Luke loves to relax with a few favorite things - Izzy, his right hand dog, his DS machine, his Pokemon card collection, and his Dangerous Boys book (a gift from Andrew). It helps to have Avatar, The Last Airbender on TV. Fortunately, Omi gets Nicktoons on her service. We spend a good deal of time outdoors so I don't feel too guilty about some TV. Hannah and Luke lead busy, active lives during the school year. It's so much fun to veg out during the summer. Annie is flying in to Albany tomorrow. I told the kids they had to take a bath today, wash hair and scrub behind the ears. Luke said can't he just swim in the pond? I told him he had to smell good when Mommy kisses him. He's very very excited about seeing his Mommy again. Luke is such a home body.

A Pleasant Conversation

I caught Luke and Baby Thunder, my VERY FIRST sheep and a senior member of my flock, having a pleasant conversation. We were about to take the dogs for a walk up to the pond this morning. The day was getting hotter and hotter and Baby Thunder decided not to join us. He did "talk" to us a bit before we made our way up the big hill. By the way, Baby Thunder does carry on conversations. Just ask any human visitor to this farm. Thunder is very friendly and will stand beside them and be very sociable. I love his soft Coopworth fleece. Don't think I will have too many more of them. I try to spend as much time as I can with him, having pleasant conversations.

One Week Warning

Annie is flying in on Friday and will take the kids back with her the following Wednesday. I hate to see them go, but I've had them for longer than I thought I would this summer and loved, loved, loved having them here. Hannah is so beautiful, dreamy and enigmatic. Luke is such a little firecracker who loves helping Omi in the barn. They are kids who go on fabulous adventures with their parents, from glitzy Las Vegas to camping in the mountains of the West - yet they are just as polite and steady as can be. I love Hannah's quirky artistic nature. I look at her room and go tisk tisk, then open my bedroom door and it's even worse. I wonder where she gets it from?

Hot and Sticky

What the heck happened? It's reeeaally hot and very, very sticky today. The predicted rain came and we climbed up to the hay mow to watch the storm. No storm, just a short shower. It's still fun to see the sheep and goats run down the hill in a line to get back into the barn. Good sheep, good sheep! Bluefaced Leicester wool LOVES to FELT on the back of the sheep in weather just like this. I'm trying to get Big Jim Baldwin over here to shear the 20 or so, including lambs, who need it. Anyway, Luke and I came back inside to watch TV in front of the fans. Hannah has a little bit of a sore throat and doesn't want to make the climb down the gorge to the Secret Waterfall. Maybe we'll do the pond later. I'm flitting about, getting nothing done to speak of other than this chore or that. Luke and I got three big wheelbarrows of poop and hay out to the pile this morning before the real humidity hit. I better sit down and sew, which always pulls me together and makes me feel like I've accomplished something. I just got a message that I am in Plowshares, sponsored by the Syracuse Peace Festival again. That secures my shows for the fall. They are nicely spread out:

September: Colorscape, Norwich, NY Weekend after Labor Day
Fingerlakes Fiber Festival, Hemlock, NY, Week after that
Southern Adirondack Fiber Festival, Greenwich, NY, Week after that

October: NY State Sheep and Wool, Rhinebeck, NY

November: Free to get ready for Mia's Bridal Shower, Nov. 26, Morristown Hyatt, NJ

December: Plowshares, Nottingham High School, Syracuse, NY - First weekend
Delaware Riverkeeper Crafts Festival, Bristol. Pa. Weekend after that

Six shows, nicely spaced, all good ones for me. I'm learning not to overdo it for no good returns. I make everything I sell and can only make so much with a full time teaching job and all these animals. Time away from the farm is very, very precious.

Rainy Morning on the Farm

It's a good day to sleep in. A gentle rain is falling and the sheep stayed in the barn. I'll sew this morning after chores and the kids will read and relax. Maybe the sun will come out later and we will swim. Yesterday, after a lovely time at the Secret Waterfall, I drove the truck down the hill through the field, bumping and tossing through the sink holes. The kids were thrilled. I drove slowly along the apple trees while the kids stood in the bed and picked tiny apples and branches for the bunnies. So much fun and the rabbits LOVED the apple tree wood!

Berry Good Indeed

My local blueberry jam is perfect! I couldn't wait and opened a jar for breakfast. It's wonderfully delicious, love the texture, just the right amount of sugar. I can't wait to make some more, if the berry people are still at the farmer's market this weekend. Now I know what everybody is getting for Christmas.

12 Pints of Goodness

Matt saw what was going on in the kitchen and decided he better supervise the jam making. Good thing it's not as hot as it has been. All this boiling really heats up the house. I ended up with 9 pints of lovely blueberry jam and three of strawberry. Some lessons learned: follow the directions that say crush the fruit. I have a lot of fruit floating on the top half of the jar and mostly liquid on the bottom. Also, use the butter that is supposed to lessen the foam on top (which I only got on the strawberries, not the blueberries). Anyway, I think the whole thing is just fascinating. I've paid as much as $7.00 for a tiny jar of jam. I know I shouldn't admit to such extravagance, but that's how I feel about jam. I'm hoping to find more local blueberries at the farmer's market again this weekend. None of this faraway, tiny, sad little berries, but big, juicy berries that burst with flavor. Won't they taste good when the world is frozen outside and we're remembering the joys of summer.

Beautiful Blueberry Jam

It's not only fabulously delicious - it's beautiful to look at. I adore blueberries, I mean, I really crave blueberries. I think my body needs something they contain because I really lust after them. This is blueberry season in Central New York. I stopped dead in my tracks last Saturday at the farmer's market when I saw a table set up with freshly picked blueberries. They came from a farm just up the road from me in Sauquoit. I bought five quarts with my market earnings and proceeded to eat them non-stop until today. I've always wanted to make jam and now I'm doing it. My body has told me enough with the fresh blueberries for now, so I'll preserve the rest for the long, cold winter ahead. I hope the blueberry people from Sauqouit will be there this coming Saturday so I can get more. This preserving thing is fun. Hannah is not impressed, as Annie puts up all kinds of exotic jams and jellies from fruit that grows in the yards of the developement where they live in San Jose. I'm happy with my blueberries. Strawberries are next on the schedule. Oh, I can taste the crunchy double whole wheat toast with jam now...

Porkers

The pigs are growing like crazy. The boys are very beautiful. I call them Winken, Blinken and Nod. Matt calls them Rib, Bacon and Chop, or something like that. Not funny!