Tag Archives: everything else

You know what’s hard to believe? I have been blogging right here since February 10, 2008. That’s six years and five months of almost daily blogging, for a total of 2469 posts. Of course, I didn’t write all of them. I’ve had various staff members over the years who contributed to the blog, and plenty of good friends who pitched in from time to time. But the over all responsibility for this blog, and the one that came before it, has always been mine.

In the beginning it didn’t actually feel like work at all! Whenever something exciting happened on the farm or I stumbled across a great new book or website, I couldn’t wait to come here and write about it. I used to say that nothing felt like it had actually happened until I told the blog readers about it.

But lately… Lately, writing the blog has become more of a chore. A burden, almost. Not because I don’t love communicating with you lovely people. Blogging has just started to feel incredibly one-sided. And not even a whole side at that.

When I started this business, it was just me and the sheep. I wrote about what I was feeling, what was going on on the farm, what it felt like to be responsible for 100 sheep and goats well-being. I vowed right from the start not to write about religion or politics because that wasn’t what this space was all about. It was about bringing people who love knitting and fiber animals together– there were more than enough forums out there that point out our divisions. I wanted this one to be about this little piece of commonality that we all agree on.

But as Juniper Moon Farm grew, so did my responsibilities. First it was with the addition of staff. Then the larger, more expensive farm. By the time I started working with KFI as the creative director of a commercial yarn line, I had a whole lot of people’s livelihoods that were resting (at least in part) on my little business, and by extension, on this blog.

I started pulling my punches on a lot of topics that I thought would be too controversial for my blog. Things I wouldn’t have hesitated to write about in the early days started to scare me. I put more and more of the responsibility for writing light and breezy blog posts on the shoulders of my employees and I policed their content for anything that might offend. Coming up with suitable blog topics became a weekly task that we all dreaded.

But mostly? I just I think I just got burned out.

2469 blog posts is a whole lot of blog posts, y’all.

What does all this mean? It means that I will no longer be blogging daily in this space. When something awesome happens, or I read a really good book or try out a fab new recipe that demands to be shared, I will blog. When Amy has animal news and pictures, she will blog. And when we have news about the CSA Shares and our commercial yarn lines, we will blog.

If you’d like to be notified when we DO blog, you can follow our Facebook page, follow us on twitter, or you can just check back here from time to time. I will also be posting mini updates on the Facebook page. And I will try to post more moments on Instagram as well.

As an added bonus, when you come here to read a post, you’ll know that I’m blogging because I have something to say– not because I have to keep my stats up.

I am so grateful for the time I have had writing this blog and getting to know all of you. I promise, I’m not going away– I’m just changing my expectations of myself. I hope that makes sense.

So sorry I’ve been AWOL this week. I picked up a nasty summer cold before we left for the Azores and I’ve been basically sleeping and blowing my nose since we returned. I promise to get back to blogging ASAP.

In the meantime, what’s in store for you this weekend? We’re having a yard sale tomorrow and I’m hoping to lay low on Sunday.

We got home from our magical trip to the Azores late Tuesday night and we’re still in that hazy, sleepy zone that accompanies traveling thousands of miles across multiple times zones.  Forgive me if this post is a little muddled.

The Azores is made up of nine volcanic islands that were settled by Portugal back in the colonial era. The islands were uninhabited before the Portuguese arrived, so the language and culture of the Azores is pure Portuguese. The owner of the company Mike works for immigrated to the U.S. from the Azores as a child, and this trip was a strategic planning meeting for the directors of the company. Spouses got to tag along, which is how I got so incredibly lucky.

I had wanted to visit the Azores for years, ever since reading Sailing Alone Around the World: a Personal Account of the First Solo Circumnavigation of the Globe by Sail by Joshua Slocum. Mike and I had talked about it as a potential vacation destination when we first met (along with Iceland) and then weeks later we found out we would be going. It was almost surreal.

This post is mostly going to be a great photo dump (I’m buried under a mountain of work that built up while I was away). These are just the pictures from my iPhone– I haven’t had a chance to download the ones from my camera yet. 

The beauty of this island can’t be overstated. There are several main volcanic craters with lovely little lakes in them. This one was positively fairy-tale like.

Oh the hydrangeas! You have never seen so many hydrangeas in your life. The ones on Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket can’t even hold a candle to these. They are absolutely everywhere.

We hiked along the coast where the lava formations meet the sea and form all kinds of tidal pools. There were sea urchins, an abundance of purple jellyfish and all manner of other sea creatures.

The volcanos produce heat that warms thermal baths all over the island. Some of them aren’t open for swimming because the temperature is double the temp it takes to boil water.

This was my very favorite spot on the island. The cliffs are impossibly green.

One afternoon we visited a tea plantation, the only one in Europe. After seeing how tea is harvested and sorted, I’m surprised it isn’t much, much more expensive.

In the village of Furnas, the geothermal heat is so great that it is traditional to cook picnic lunches with it!

Holes are pre-dug in the ground at the hottest spots. Families bring a pot layered with meats and vegetables to the men attending the area. The pot is covered with a wooden lid and buried under dirt for 6 hours.

When the family returns 6 hours later, their pot is dug up.

Our pot contained chicken, pork ribs, chorizo, blood sausage, pork belly, potatoes, yams, sweet potatoes, cabbage and kale. Everything steams together and the results were delicious and so tender.

Furnas is also home to the most incredible botanical gardens! Our hotel was situated in the gardens, and we had access to the thermal baths as well.

I’m leaving so much out but I don’t want to bore you. Suffice to say, if you ever have the chance to visit the Azores, GO! It was a once in a lifetime trip, although we would go back in heartbeat.

It’s Tuesday! Time to share all the good things going on in our lives with each other!

I’ll go first:

1. 1.My sister had two out of three spot of skin cancer successfully removed and none of them were too deep.
2. Darwin survived his surgery and is now longer trying to have sex with my leg all day long.
3. Mike is going on a business trip to the Azores this week and I get to tag along! I have wanted to go the Azores for many, many year, and Mike and I had talked about going before we found out about this trip. I’m going to spend the next week exploring, taking pictures and taking in the culture. I’ll tell you all about it when I get back.

Your turn! Tell me something good, y’all!

Thanks so much to those of you who asked after Darwin last week! I posted on Tuesday that Darwin was under-going his second attempt at neutering on Wednesday, after having bad reaction to a pre-anesthia sedative his was giving the first time and having to be resuscitated. Then I completely forgot to post again letting you all know that everything went perfectly fine with his surgery.

The hard part since then has been keeping Darwin calm so he doesn’t rip out his stitches. This dog is 30 pounds of muscle and play! (Someone who saw us walking Sunday morning called him “a cinder block with feet” and it’s an apt description.) Walking him twice a day has helped to wear him out and keep him from being completely bored while he is separated from our other dogs.

We celebrated Darwin’s successful operation with watermelon– his favorite!

Then, Saturday evening, we found out that that sedative wasn’t the only thing he is allergic to. Darwin got stung by a bee and his entire head swelled up!

This picture really doesn’t do it justice. Both of his eyes swelled shut and his lips were completely distended. I was terrified that his windpipe was going to swell shut! I forced two benedryl down his throat immediately and spent the rest of the night monitoring his breathing. Very quickly the swelling went down, but it was very scary nevertheless.

Sunday morning he was back to his old self again, our adorable Dr. Chubbs. He has two facial expressions: tongue a tiny bit out

and underbite. I guess this is his smile?

Someone told us recently that another name for English Bulldog is “vet bill”.  Good thing we love this little guy so much already!

I don’t know if I have ever needed a “Tell Me Something Good Tuesday” as much as I do today! My sister is having not one but THREE spots of skin cancer removed from her face today. Darwin, our pup, is going in to be neutered again tomorrow after nearly dying during the last attempt to neuter him (he had a reaction to the pre-anestisia sedative). And we are in the bi-annual mad rush to get our next season’s patterns to the printer. I. am. stressed.

So, today, more than ever, I need you to tell me something good!

Actually, it’s past time for my annual “WEAR SUNSCREEN” post.  I usually do about about the horrors of skin cancer much earlier in the year, but this Spring has nearly kicked my ass with it’s chaos and catastrophes, so I guess it’s a case of better late than never.

I have been wearing sunscreen with an SPF of 50 or higher every day for 20 years.  I wear it on my face and neck, and when I remember, on the back of my hands. I started doing this because I am incredibly vain, and  I once read an interview with Kim Basinger in which she said she wears it every day. I think we will all agree that at 60, her skin looks amazing!

So, for me, sunscreen was about not getting wrinkles vs. not getting skin cancer. My sister is just as religious as I am about wearing sunscreen and next week she will have her second spot of skin cancer removed from her face.

Here’s the thing– if we can get skin cancer, anybody can. Carrie and I grew up swimming  and we were both lifeguards in college.  All that sun exposure way from way back before we knew better than to layout on the back deck slathered in baby oil is just now coming back to haunt us.

There isn’t much you can do about previous sun exposure but you can start right now– today — preventing skin cancer by wearing sunscreen and protective clothing when you’re going to be exposed to the sun for any length of time. One thing people often forget is that those of you with long commutes in the car are exposing the left side of your face to the sun  the whole time you’re driving. Remember- you don’t have to get burned to damage your skin. There is no such thing as a “healthy tan”.

The National Council on Skin Care Prevention has a bunch of tips for preventing skin cancer but I think we all know the drill. Apply skin care early and often. Avoid the sun during the peak rays. wear a hat. Wear protective clothing, etc.

And don’t stop protecting your skin from the sun when Summer’s over. Skin cancer prevention should be practiced year-round.

It’s TMSGT, y’all! I will go first.

1. Yesterday I finished shooting almost all the garments for our Fall/Winter Collection and they are amazing. We worked with a whole bunch of really great designers and I’m thrilled with the results.

2. We are hard at work getting the third shipment of Sock Club ready to ship to you. Amy, our dye master, is doing a bang-up job, per usual.

3. I’m going on a much-needed vacation and it’s less than two weeks away!

What’s going on with YOU? Any small victories or triumphs you want to share? I have to say, reading what you all post here is always one of the very best parts of my week, so go ahead and TELL ME SOMETHING GOOD!

Let me start off by saying that I know it’s Wednesday. Well, now I know it’s Wednesday. But I spent all day yesterday thinking it was Monday because of some unusual goings on in my household (nothing interesting, just that Mike took the day off on actual Monday, which made it feel like Sunday) so when I woke up this morning I was sure today was Tuesday. And I got all excited about doing a “Tell Me Something Good” Tuesday post.

I’ve decided not to let the fact that it’s Wednesday spoil the fun.  So go ahead! Tell me something good!