Every day seems to be gaining ever more momentum toward summer. I took extra time this evening to appreciate the new flowers, the new bits of green popping up everywhere, and the wooly creatures who will be freed of their heavy winter fleeces in the next week or so.
The apple trees are starting to leaf out.
This broody hen is very unhappy that I keep taking the eggs from under her.
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Tagged Farm, Uncategorized
The other day it was so sunny and warm that it seemed like a perfect excuse to open up the beehive and see how they were doing. I wanted to check for any indications of swarming (nothing this time) and see if i could find the queen, or, at the very least, signs that she is doing her job.
Now, when you crack open a hive and start pulling frames to check everything, you want to be as quick and efficient as you can, so as not to disturb the bees more than necessary. This has been a challenge for me, because I just love looking at their work, and I think I move quite a bit slower than I should. By the time I get to the last box to check, they are pretty pissed at me!
But how can you not stop and marvel at their work!
The good news is that although I didn’t spot the queen, I did see plenty of eggs and larvae (if you look close in the pic above, you can see the blurry white in the bottom left cells – larvae!), which means she is there, and she is active.
I also spotted many, many bees returning to the hive laden with bright pollen. With all the spring flowers in bloom, it’s a honeybee smorgasbord! I’ll be adding a queen excluder soon as their production of honey kicks into high gear.
In the meantime I’m keeping an eye out for possible swarm activity. If it happens, I have a whole empty hive waiting to become a second colony.
After checking the bees and putting my gear away, a neighbor stopped by to talk about llamas 9she knows someone trying to re-home three….so very tempting!), and as she was leaving she told me how much she loves our place, and that it’s everything she wants. It was such an amazing compliment, and all I could say was “me, too”.
Here’s to a beautiful spring and summer to come!
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Tagged Farm, Uncategorized
Hopefully you are all having a lovely and relaxing Sunday. The weather here is beautiful, if windy, and the kids are about due to crash from their sugar largesse left by the bunny.
I am enjoying the newly blooming flowers and the pea plants which have begun to sprout.
But the BIG news we are happy to share is that Wembley the wonderlamb has made a full and complete recovery.
When I found her downed several weeks back with a thiamine deficiency, we were pretty worried. When we brought her home from the vet that evening, we were unsure how she’d do through the night.
She lived in my tub for two weeks before I felt like I could move her out to the sheltered front porch. But after a few days I was still pretty worried. She was still crooked, and could barely stand on her own. When the nearly three week mark hit and she was walking sideways, unable to lift her head completely, I was really worried. But then, suddenly one day, she decided she’d had enough, and walked around the gate and off the porch. I took her down to the other lambs (lots of bleating was to be had) and worried yet again how she’d do through the night.
But now? Holding her own at the feed trough and hay bale. Walking straight, no head tilting or any indication of illness other than being a bit skinny still.
The only difference between her pre-illness self and now is that she got used to us being her food-bearers, and consequently is very friendly and cuddly now.
I’m pretty comfortable calling this turn around nothing short of miraculous.
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Tagged Farm, Uncategorized
I’m still hard at work being creative, though my time for it has been limited. Spring means planting, planting, and more planting. When I’m not planting, I’m taking a look at how the fences, livestock, bees, and equipment have come through winter. I’m taking stock of what has been accomplished in our school year and what is left to do in order to hit all of the goals we set out in the fall. This year I am also getting ready for two weeks away in the beginning of June, which means streamlining how we do things so Paul, Emily, and Oona can manage without me and Neve.
But when I can, I am feeling all kinds of creative, and spending much happy time with my knitting needles and at my sewing machine.
Right now I am working on The Hollyburn Skirt from Sewaholic in a fantastic Denyse Schmidt fabric.
I’d bought this fabric a few years ago and never did anything with it because I wanted something more than my stand-by A-Line skirt. Something with a little more character. I’m thinking this is it.
I’m feeling pretty good about my new little wardrobe I am slowly crafting. I may try to wear only me-made clothing this summer (aside from when I am doing livestock work, as that has to be hard-wearing, not-precious apparel).
I kind of wish that either I had more time with cool weather or that I was a faster knitter, because I think this skirt is going to look amazing with my Shepherd Sweater when it’s done.
Maybe in time for cooler nights in late summer?
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Tagged Knitting, Sewing, Uncategorized
Last week I took a quick trip up to the Hudson Valley to attend the funeral of my uncle Joe. Although it was a sad reason for gathering, it was fantastic to see cousins I haven’t seen in a long time and be able to give and receive much-needed hugs in person. I was glad for the first time this year to not be worried about lambing this season; otherwise I might not have been able to go.
Unfortunately the weather wasn’t very spring-like (indeed, it snowed the day I left), which is too bad, because my father and stepmom live in a really lovely spot overlooking the Rondout Canal. I’ll definitely be going back when the weather’s nicer. At the very least, I plan to stay there in October, as I will be there for Rhinebeck Sheep & Wool this year.
Back home in Virginia the daffodils are blooming, my hyacinth are growing, and I’m seeing the dark pink shoots that mean my peonies are on their way.
The peas we planted not long ago are sprouting, and we’ve got radishes, beets, various lettuces, arugula, kale and chard seeds in the ground.
The sheep are playing and kicking up their feet as they run, the bees are happily foraging for pollen and nectar. The songbirds are chirping. It’s a great time of year!
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Tagged garden, Seasons, Trips, Uncategorized
Can I just say how much I love the Washi pattern from Made by Rae? LOVE. I’ve made several things with this pattern, both in woven cotton and in Jersey knits and I’ve had no misfires (knock on wood!!).
Today I’ll show you the shirt I made with some Amy Butler Lark fabric I’ve had waiting around for just such a project.
With the Washi pattern there is an option for the keyhole neck design or the scoop neck, and I prefer the scoop.
The front is pleated just under the empire waist.
Let me say this: I love empire waistlines. But, as a woman who is not shaped like a beanpole, it can be a challenge to wear them and not look pregnant. In fact, the last time I wore a high waisted blouse an older gentleman asked me how far along I was.
Yeah.
But with this pattern, this fabric, this comfort level, I don’t even care.
The back is gathered with elastic thread.
Unlike all of the other woven-cotton blouses I’ve made, this one sits comfortably. It doesn’t feel “off” in any way. I cut it out in the medium size and didn’t have to make a single sizing adjustment.
Neve was my photographer. When she takes your picture, she bounces around a lot and you never quite know where to look or when she’s going to snap away. Also, I have a bad habit of looking pissed off in pictures even though I’m not.
…….And then we were feeling a little silly.
You cant see it in the pictures, but the destination sign for the bus reads “Walt Disney World”. I was kind of hoping that would come through here, but not so much. You’ll just have to take my word for it.
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Tagged Sewing, Uncategorized
While I haven’t received any criticism for my most recent about etsy, where I delved a little bit further into the conflict I feel about the changes etsy has been making, I have been thinking all week about the artists that still sell on their work on that platform.
Just in case it wasn’t clear, I love being able to search for just the right handmade gift from my living room. I love running into new artists in cyber space and sending the links to my husband and my friends when I think they would like them. I like introducing people to new art by artists they hadn’t found yet. (Ya’ll know it’s true, because it’s my day job.) Etsy has always been an irreplaceable tool for discovery.
When I am stuck on a particularly difficult passage in my novel or just need a break for creative inspiration, I pull up etsy and browse through listings of my two favorite things to shop for: self-striping sock yarn and pottery.
We’re Not in Kansas Anymore self-striping sock yarn from White Birch Fiber Arts. I want this for my feet.
A sock knitter can never have too much sock yarn, and as a former dyer, I know just how much work the self-striping yarn is. I don’t have the patience to do it myself most of the time, but I am more than willing to throw down $30 just for the experience of knitting with it. Self-striping sock just never gets old.
With pottery, I’m a little more discerning with my purchases. If I purchase pottery, it’s likely coming from someone I know like, FriesenArt, because I can buy it locally. (I’m drinking coffee out of one of her wheat mugs right now!) But I love browsing through the beautiful shops on etsy, favoriting pieces for future gift ideas, and imagining just how full of robin’s egg blue vessels my house will be when my boys are older.
But these bowls from AbbyTPottery keep grabbing my attention.
Now, imagine the yarn from above in the yarn bowl and that berry bowl full of cherries. Can you imagine the squish of the wool? The crisp contrast of the orange against the blue bowl? The slick glaze cool to the touch. The water droplets sitting on the skin of the freshly washed cherries? The heft of the bowl in your hand as you sit back down to your laptop ready to delve back into teasing out whatever conflict is giving you trouble.
Or is that just me?
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Tagged abbyTpottery, artists on etsy, berry bowl, etsy, Inspiration, inspiration on etsy, pottery, robins egg blue, shopping on etsy, sock yarn, Uncategorized, white birch fiber art, yarn bowl
Comments Off on Happy St. Paddy’s Day From The Flock!!!
Tagged Farm, Uncategorized
I love this part of the year; the air smells fresh and cool and earthy. Full of the promise of things to grow. The rains are warmer now, and the first early bulbs are just starting to send their shoots up through the surface. Normally this also the time of year we look forward to lambs and kids, but we have taken the year off. Though I will miss the wee lamb noses and kid bleats, I’m relieved to have more time to devote to the garden and other farm projects that are sorely in need of attention.
I have gone through all my seeds and ordered the ones I needed; i’ll be starting my seeds in the mini greenhouse this week. Peas will be going directly into the ground in the next few days.
We did lose one bee hive over the winter. Not sure if it was the Varroa mites that did it or the cold; it was the smaller of the hives and not as strong as the swarm hive I started out with. I will be sterilizing the components of the hive and seeing if the swarm hive decides to produce another swarm this year. If it does, I’ll be ready for it. That hive is super strong. It went into winter with a bumper crop of honey. I decided not to harvest any because there wasn’t a large amount above what they needed for themselves, and I wanted to be cautious in my first year as a beekeeper. It seems to have paid off, because they still have a few frames of lovely honey left and I’m not really needing to feed them much extra.
The chickens are finally starting to lay with some reliability again, to my great relief.
You cant see the color really well in the picture, but that is a blue egg! I’m looking forward to being overloaded with eggs again; it’s it’s been far too long!
Little daffodils and crocuses poking up!
I’m hoping to be able to get out and work in the gardens a bit today and clean them up a bit in prep for planting. I am going to be trying the Deep Mulch method this year. I have so very much waste hay that we may as well put it to good use!
One of our lovely Silver-Laced Wyandottes, Penny. She likes to hang out on the porch.
We’ve been able to have the windows open during the day lately, and the cats are loooooooving it. I’m thinking this little one needs a perch next to the bird feeder so she can better stalk her prey.
All this springyness has got me wanting to get sewing a whole lot as well. New dresses and skirts!
I’ve been getting a bit done here and there, and I’ll reveal all soon. But I am excited about the newest Lonsdale dress I’ve made with some lovely Moda crepe:
This fabric reminds me so much of one of my favorite sewing bloggers – Lauren over at Lladybird.
For now I am excited to get outside and get the gardening started for real. What are you excited for this spring?
Just when all was starting to return to normal around here (and all of my seed catalogs were calling to me, reminding me I need to start my seeds), we got another snowstorm.
It was quite lovely. Of course, the town was in no way prepared for it. People were trying to drive home from work in it and there were abandoned cars everywhere on our road. Paul was out on the tractor clearing our neighborhood until pretty late, but thankfully neither of us had to be anywhere.
I love when it’s just snowed and all of the trees are heavy with it; it’s very Narniaesque!
Today it’s bright and sunny and in the upper 50′s, so everything is melting off and I am back to thinking we actually see spring soon.
It also means I can let our little Wembley outside to get some sun and fresh air.
Wembley, you see, has been living in my bathtub for the past week or so.
“I know there’s a cat there, but I am going to stare you down for more treats”.
Right before I got sick, we found her at evening feeding time laying in the hay with her head pinned back. Susan and I agreed that this looked exactly like a thiamine deficiency. But, not having any pure thiamine on hand, and out of an abundance of caution, a trip to the vet was in order.
Dr. Davis gave her an IV with thiamine and some glucose to keep her blood sugar up. She couldn’t find anything else wrong with her, so home we went, with instructions to keep her warm and keep her blood sugar levels up.
Into the tub she went, with some hay, food, and warm water mixed with molasses.
She’s been getting many, many shots of thiamine and plenty of attention. Her head is no longer pinned back to her side and her appetite is monstrous. She’s been in the tub awhile, though, and her limbs are a bit unused to holding her weight, so I’ve been taking her outside when I can and trying to get her to stand up. She tries all the time, but in the tub she cant get any traction to stand. Otherwise, she is the picture of health!
“Seriously, lady. Make with the treats.”
“Hello, cat. Do YOU have treats?”
I’m hoping her strength returns soon and she can be back out with the flock. Keeping a lamb in the tub is just as adorable – and disgusting – as you can imagine.
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