A Blip on the Radar

I guess I've slipped a cog...I forgot to tell you about Black Sheep!

2009-07-07T21:51:00.001-07:00

Well, you've probably read everyone else's stories about their experiences at this year's Black Sheep Gathering in Eugene Oregon, but humor me as I share my favorite things about the event.

#1 Favorite thing - seeing blogger friends -

MIchelle from Boulderneigh and Denise from "In Sheep's Clothing" (who, by the way, both have several splendid posts about their experiences at BSG) Denise kindly helped Michelle show her lambs.

And then there was Yvonne from Lavender Sheep's Fiber Garden. I have been reading her blog for a couple of years and it was nice to finally meet her - she was very busy in her vendor booth. She is one talented lady!

Isn't she pretty? Luckily, she was already sold or she would have had an all expense paid trip back to Bellingham with us!

I loved the markings on this little Jacob's sheep.

These Teesdale sheep have INCREDIBLY long fleeces - sometimes 12 - 15 inches - I don't know how you would even process that? But they seemed to be sweet sheep. (one would hope, 'cause they are ginormous!)

I didn't have a very good view of the ring, as I was sitting on the bottom rung of the bleachers. Going up in bleachers makes me dizzy and since I am not very steady on my feet anyhow, I just stay on the bottom rung - so you see a lot of sheep butts....

If you get tired of looking at sheep behinds, there is always shopping...

and visiting with more friends, like our fellow Shetland breeder, Donna from Schoonover Farmsin Skagit County.

and watching the crowds of people flowing by - these folks were meeting some Shetland lambs.

We went out and had some lunch - sharing a visit with fellow "Bellinghamster" Yvonne

who raises CVM sheep - (that stands for California Variegated Mutant - don't ask me...) but her sheep are very handsome and had just finished winning all kinds of awards at Estes Park. Both she and her sheep were ready to go home -

and there's ALWAYS more shopping..........

And yet more friends from Bellingham - Doug and Roberta from Breezy Meadows Cashmere Farm.

Last but not least, was the Wool Judging on Saturday. We really liked the judge - he was very knowledgeable about fleece - although he needed a little bit of education about the fact that Shetland fleeces are very likely to change colors as the lamb gets older.

We convinced him that this black & white fleece was not the result of dietary deficiency or stress that it was "just Shetland for -

And here is Mary Beth, the proud owner of that blue ribbon lamb fleece. Just wait til next year, MB, we'll be back!

Word on the street is that the North American Shetland Sheep Association Annual General Meeting (that would be the NASSA AGM) will be at next year's BSG.

Yippee - there will be friends from ALL over for that one!

Miscellaneous farm "stuff"

2009-07-03T22:21:00.000-07:00

"Oh, oh, Violet, she's in here again - what awful thing do you think will happen now?"

Pearl and Violet (in the front, isn't she pretty?) are surmising that since The Shepherd's Wife is in the barn with him something nefarious is about to happen -

"Don't worry girls, it's only worming paste - and it tastes like green apple, I think you'll like it."

With the barn door shut, everyone is easy to catch with the help of the shepherd's crook that I got The Shepherd for Christmas a year ago. He wonders how he got along so long without it It certainly makes things easier on the back (his, that is) I stand, pressed against the wall so I don't get knocked over and when he's got someone caught - "Blurp" there's your worming paste for the spring - on to the next one.
The swallows have nested in the barn again - I couldn't quite reach high enough to get everyone in the picture. It's only been 5 days since I took this picture and they are already out flying with their folks. I love watching baby swallows learn how to fly.

So, with worming fait accompli, the girls were turned out into their new pasture - but they couldn't help munching down a bit of grass along the way.

Speaking of munching, this year we've had a huge problem with bunnies munching everything they can get their little lips around. It is very apparent that Neelix kept the bunny population at bay. We sure do miss him.

He probably kept the raccoons out of the corn too - They have cleaned out The Shepherd's first planting. He is very discouraged!
He was also surprised to see a yearling buck bound into the girls pasture this a.m. The young fellow stood around and munched on some cherries for a bit and looked like he was going to make his way into the barn to see what was in there - but The Shepherd waved his arms and shouted and the little guy decided the better of it and bounded back out of the pasture an on his way. Cleared that 4 foot fence like an Olympic hurdler.

No, the new sign is not for the deer, it is for the neighbor's grand kids who had beat a path down the creek and were throwing sticks into H.B.'s pasture and taunting him. All we need is for one of those little buggers to get hurt - so we have two new signs on the creek to let them know that they are not welcome on our property. I think we should string some electronet along there, but, then again....

The whole creek bed behind our house is full of cherry trees. They are a tart cherry - but we never get to harvest any because the starlings seem to sense when they are coming on and beat a path to our back yard. They sure can get rid of a cherry crop in a hurry. Darn things.

I loved this picture of the cherries though - and yes, I picked that dark one and ate it right after I took the picture.

And a parting thought -

Do you think we should change his name from Cooper to Flash?

These are a few of my favorite things......

2009-07-02T00:15:00.000-07:00

I got an email from a girlfriend the other day about how Julie Andrews had sung a parody of the song "My Favorite Things" to a theater full of AARP members on her 69th birthday. All about the things that are befalling us as we become "old geezers", it was quite cute, but, as with all things a little "shady", I checked it on Snopes.com - and it was an Internet Hoax - but with lyrics like this how could you go wrong:

(sing to the chorus melody of My Favorite Things)
When the pipes leak,
When the bones creak,
When the knees go bad,
I simply remember my favorite things,
And then I don't feel so bad.

Sadly, after a 1997 botched operation to remove a polyp on her vocal chords, Ms. Andrews lost her ability to sing, so she wouldn't have been able to sing this when she turned 69 in 2004.

Anyhow, here are a few of MY favorite things.

The very fragrant rose Sterling Silver.

Peony Raspberry Sorbet

New stash from BSG - about 2# of pin drafted roving from Dawn's Custom Carding in Roy, WA - it is the teal/sea foam green mohair blended with grey wool - wait til you see how that spins up!

Two packages of jewel toned mohair locks - one in the water colors to match the hank of brilliantly dyed Bluefaced Leicester top and the other in reds, browns & golds to blend with some cream colored shetland to make a scarf for a friend.

Plus another basket. Now that's favorite things!

See -

2009-06-28T23:52:00.001-07:00

Pretty cute, huh?
Yes, that's an end that needs to be tucked in -(looks kind of like it's umbilical cord...)
I suppose you could make it in a weekend if you did nothing else - but it did come together pretty fast (4 days) for someone who had made nothing but baby afghans and a few hats - and the hood will definitely be better, redone bigger.

Pat, pat, pat - that's the sound of me patting my self on the back - ha, ha, ha..........

I'm Baaaack....

2009-06-27T12:57:00.000-07:00

Well, the sweater got almost finished while we were on vacation at Black Sheep Gathering - I didn't think that the hood was big enough and I still don't have buttons for it - but Sophia and her mamma Erin came over on Tuesday to try it on before they want home to England and it is going to be splendid, and I was right - the hood was too small - you can't see how much she is swimming in the sweater, but you can see that the hood is just right size now - so I ripped it out and made it bigger - It will go with Sophia's grandma & grandpa when they go to see her in August.

I don't have my pics from Black Sheep organized quite yet, so I thought I'd share this new recipe that I made for dinner on Thursday. It is from one of those little plastic ring bound "community cookbooks" called "Kernel's Delights" a fund raiser by the Dollar's for Scholars group at Mansfield High School where I grew up. I thought it would be fun to see what recipes people had come up with - not really thinking that over the 40 years that I have been gone, there are lots of new people in town - didn't recognize but a few names - but this recipe caught my eye the other day when I was looking for something to make for dinner. I used both a sweet potato (the yellow ones) and a yam (the bright orange ones) because The Shepherd likes yams better, but the next time I make this (and I will make it again, it is YUMMY) I will only use sweet potatoes - they just had a better flavor and texture for the dish. Sorry I didn't get a picture - we were hungry and I didn't think about it until the dish was consummed and pronounced delicious.

PORK CHOPS WITH SWEET POTATOES & MANDARIN ORANGES (by Rochelle Crollard)
(I have made a few changes in her original recipe - I'll list them)

2 tsp olive oil (I used 2 Tbsp canola oil)
4 (4 oz) boneless loin pork chops - I used two thick six ounce loin chops and sliced them im 1/2 inch slices
1/4 tsp salt for seasoning the chops - I also used some garlic pepper and some Pampered chef Asian style seasoning that I have in my spice cabinet -
3-4 green onions including about 3-4 inches of the green tops - cut into 1/2 inch lengths.
1 (10 oz) can Mandarin Oranges including the juice
2 Tbsp. Soy sauce (I think I might have use 3 or 4 Tbsp)
1 large sweet potato peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes - I used two potatoes

In a 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the pork chops and sprinkle both sides with seasonings. Cook the chops, turning occasionally until nicely browned on both sides, abaout 7 minutes. Add the green onions and continue cooking until they are limp, about 2 minutes. Add the juice from the oranges to the skillet, reserving the orange segments for later. Stir in the soy sauce, sweet potato cubes and any other seasonings you might want to add. Adjust the head so the liquid simmers gently and cook 8-10 minutes longer or until the sweet potato is just tender when tested with a fork. The liquid will have cooked down to only a tablespoon or so. If the pan begins to boil dry, add a few teaspoons of water. Add the orange segments into the skillet - don't stir too much - they will disintegrate, put the lid on the skillet and continue cooking just a minute or two longer until the orange segments heat through.

I served this with a green salad and green peas - both of us really liked this dish - I will make it again for sure.

I have a beautiful Icelandic fleece from Lila that our friend Nancy gave me that I need to get to skirting and we have a Summer Solstice (one week delayed) party to go to tonight but I'll get our BSG pics organized and posted in the next day or so - It was, as always fun - and wait til you see all the fiber I bought!!! (I almost bought a spinning wheel - but decided to hold off...) Later..........

A sweater for Sophia

2009-06-17T23:17:00.000-07:00

Our friend's daughter moved to England to go to school - met a wonderful man in the town where she was living, fell in love, got married and now my friends have a grandchild (their first) in England, of all places. When I found out that Erin was coming home to visit with Sophia this month - I decided that I needed to make her (Sophia, that is) a sweater -

Inspired by this -
I rustled around in my (rapidly growing) stash of fiber and found some wonderfully soft Targhee hand painted roving by Mountain Colors in a colorway called Lupine (blues with green and purple) - Of course I had only purchased 8 ounces of it, and when I went back to look for more - no such luck - it was all gone. BUT, there was another colorway called Alpine - that was the same on the background colors (blues) with beautifully coordinating side colors (gold and turquoise) - so hey, why not - I'm not too savvy with Navajo plying to keep the colors straight, so, I was just planning on a regular two ply yarn anyhow. So I got 8 ounces of the Alpine and when I plied up the two , it looked like this:

Of course by now, I'm realizing that it would have been a heck of a lot easier to have just gone to Macy's and found an adorable little wool sweater that she could grow into. Erin and Sophia are here for their visit - they'll be here until the 24th - and that book does say "Weekend Crochet for Babies" - I'm hoping to get it done this weekend while we're in Eugene at Black Sheep...

And yes, I fell to the marketing - the one on the cover was so cute, that is the one I'm making - I'm going to look for buttons at Black Sheep on Friday (as well as checking out all the "tasty" fiber that will be there) and hopefully, I'll get to meet my friend Yvonne from LavenderSheep's Fiber Garden - I also know a little bit more about the kinds of fiber that I like to spin now - but it will be good to find some new things - and maybe try out some new wheels! Don't worry, I'll take pictures.

Just Shoot Me.....

2009-06-15T00:15:00.001-07:00

These three little boys are looking longingly at

this .....

That's a LONG way when you are separated from your mommy for the first time.

The Mom's were unhappy -

The BOYS were REALLY unhappy -

It breaks my heart to hear them cry like that - I even went out last night before I went to bed and tried to bribe them to SHUT UP with some graham crackers...... Didn't work.

I hate weaning weekend.

"Oh, but we didn't know we'd each get our own bowl - maybe this isn't going to be so bad after all."

We'll see how long it takes for Galloway to get his squeaker back. Over the last 24 hours, he "Baaaaaaaa'ed" himself hoarse. Poor little guy.

I REALLY hate weaning weekend.

Bowing to Temptation -

2009-06-07T00:03:00.000-07:00

Actually the dust bunnies have just gotten bigger, they are threatening to take over the spinning wheel and the strawberry rhubarb pie that I baked tonight tastes like "Old Spice" because I have gotten totally involved in the Joanne Fluke mysteries that my sister Nance sent me last week - I'm almost finished with the 4th one (I think there were 10 of her books in the box). It's called "Lemon Meringue Pie Murder" and it is pretty fun. I have been trying to figure our which one of her recipes I want to try first - most of them are pretty regular cookie recipes - but there are some intriguing ones.

Oh, and the strawberry rhubarb pie tasting like Old Spice? Instead of grabbing the plain cinnamon - I grabbed my Pampered Chef "Cinnamon Plus" which contains cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and CLOVES! Warning - do not put cloves in with rhubarb. Yucko - The Shepherd didn't complain, but he probably figured if he did, he'd never get another pie - ha, ha, ha . . . He brought in some extra rhubarb, so I made some plain rhubarb sauce - I think if he puts a couple of spoonfuls of it over the other, it might kind of hide the taste of the cloves.

Well, gotta go - I only have 16 pages left and I think I know "who did it" - then I have another 6 ounces of targee top left to spin up for the baby sweater I'm making. Everyone have a great weekend!

See more Lolcats and funny pictures HERE

Loss of a bright and shining star...

2009-06-03T00:28:00.000-07:00

In Memory

Denise Guren
8.14.52 - 5.31.09

This is a would'a, could'a, should'a story, I suppose.

I've known who Denise was for years before I knew her personally - one could easily be in awe of her talent - she was a very gifted violin/fiddle player in both folk and Klezmer music - but I didn't get acquainted with her until I joined Spindrifters a couple of years ago - she was the consummate fiber person - a wonderful spinner (she and her husband designed a new little spinning wheel that is quite popular) and I think she could knit most anything.

Denise had cancer. She faced it with more courage and grace than anyone I've ever seen. She continued to come to our Saturday guild meetings and was also active in the Knit night at NW Handspun Yarns. She and Doug were at Gretchen's Fiber Frolic in April - picking up the first Shetland fleeces from their wethers, that Gretchen had processed for them. She mentioned something about overdying the grey and fawn to see what kind of heathery colors she could come up with.

I sat beside Denise at the last local guild meeting in March. When she mentioned that she had decided to accept Hospice. I didn't know what to say - I didn't know her very well. She quickly said it would make her life easier - that it would allow her to do things in the time she had left that she wouldn't be able to if she didn't have the help. In fact, a friend told me today that she had seen her at Folk Life in Seattle over Memorial Day and at the Farmer's Market last weekend. Denise lived her life to the fullest.

As I said, I didn't know her very well, but I would have liked to have known her better. Afraid of loosing something I had just found, I didn't "find" it at all. I had been thinking about her a lot the last two days, thinking I "should" send her a card to see what she had done with the fleeces that she picked up at Gretchen's - and then, too late, found out this afternoon that she had passed away on Sunday.

Do you suppose there are Klezmer bands in heaven?

Looking back Sunday

2009-05-31T21:37:00.000-07:00

May 31, 2006

This beautiful peony was a gift from our friend Diane H. when I returned home from Seattle after my cancer surgery in May 2006 - three years ago! It seems like another place and another time.

We were so enthralled with this blossom that she graciously gave us a start of the plant. It has lived in a pot in the greenhouse for the past two years - last fall The Shepherd aka The Landscaper planted it by the corner of the house. It will bloom in a few days. I can't wait.

The rest of the peonies should be out soon too. One is an heirloom plant that I brought with me from my house in town when we moved out here. It smells like old fashioned roses and has 5-6 inch fuchsia colored blossoms.

I baked up 7 dozen cookies tonight for our church garage sale next week - they will have coffee & cookies for sale (health dept. OK'd) I'll freeze them until Thursday & take them to a friend who will be going up to Blaine for the sale -

Speaking of the sale, I've always wished I could find a nice keyboard for The Shepherd to putz around on - we don't really have room anyplace for a real piano, but I have occasionally looked at keyboards at Costco, etc., but the price ($400-800 for the ones I have seen) generally makes me decide we REALLY don't need one that bad. WELL, today, one of the fellows from church comes in after coffee hour with a CASIO CTK 591 keyboard, with the stand and the books! that he got last year at a garage sale for $20 - Does it work? I asked... Yeah, it works fine, he said, he just decided that he didn't have time or the inclination that he thought he'd have to learn how to play the piano. Turned it on - we touched a few keys - not too bad, I thought, and called The Shepherd aka The Minister of Music over to look at it. It does some pretty cool things - transposes, you can tune it up or down a little to play in tune with another instrument, it has 50 songs already programmed in - (we could have our own karaoke party, ha, ha, ha)

It wasn't exactly love at first sight, but I could tell by the look on his face, that if we took it home, that he would indeed play with it. So before anyone else had a chance to even know it was there, I pulled the checkbook out of my purse and wrote a check for $50 to the church. The lady in charge of the garage sale was delighted, I just looked on line and they are still for sale from anywhere from $150 (with the stand) to $200. I think we got a fine deal.

The "Six Things" meme -

2009-05-27T00:04:00.000-07:00

I got tagged by Vicki at The Virginia Purl with the latest meme- I am supposed to list six unimportant things that make me happy and then tag six people. I hate having to choose people so, on the honor system, six of my readers have to do this meme (don’t forget to let me know – see #4 below)

1. Last month when all of the Pink cherry trees were in bloom – they line a street on my way to work and when they begin to lose their petals it looks like pink snow everywhere!
2. Lying in bed on a Saturday morning and listening to the birds chirping outside, trying to hear more than robins.
3. The fact that the waitress at one of our Friday night date restaurants remembers us and greets us like old friends.
4. Having someone who is a new reader leave a comment on my blog.
4.1 Having someone who is an old reader leave a comment on my blog
5. Chocolate Orange jellies from Trader Joes.
6. I’m still astounded when after plying yarn on my spinning wheel it looks like “real” yarn and crochets up nice too.

On another topic - I really love three day weekends and this one, I did absolutely nothin' - well, I stayed in bed a bunch to try to beat this darn cold I came down with, and I finished up two "romance novels" - and spun up some Targhee top that I want to use to make a baby sweater with. Now that I'm getting used to it, it is fun to spin - very springy/spongy feeling - and I am plying two different colorways - (the result of buying fiber without a clear purpose then when you go back to get some more, it's gone...) I think they match very well though - I'll have pictures soon. Seein' as how it is Wednesday now, I guess I'd better hit the sack. This week is going fast enough as it is - I still have the newsletter to finish AND payroll. Ick.

Memorial Day -

2009-05-25T00:02:00.000-07:00

John & I did the service yesterday at church. It was "loosely" called an Odyssey of UU music (as seen through the past hymnals that we had available.)

My part was to provide the Prelude, the kids story (in song), provide accompaniment for several of the hymns and provide a short overview of church music in general in less than 10 minutes. Actually, it turned out pretty good, everyone loved the kids song I did (off Cindy Mangsen's Cat Songs album). And my "short overview" went well - I actually learned a few things myself. The Prelude had me stumped though - - I was going to try and learn a new song off of one of the Jim Scott CD's that I bought when he was here in March - but it just wasn't working - Then I had a flash of inspiration - since it was Memorial Day weekend, I would sing "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" - written in 1961 by Julia Ward Howe, a Unitarian woman, and a hymn from the earliest hymnal that we were exploring.

The tune to this song was written around 1855 and was popular with the words "Caanan's Happy Shore" as a campfire song, then used as a walking song for the troups during the Civil War, as "John Brown's Body". After attending a review of the troups in Washington DC, a friend of Mrs. Howe's suggested that she write new words for this song. According to legend, she went to bed like normal that evening, and awoke at dawn with the words to the song in her mind. She scrambled out of bed, found a writing instrument and scribbled the words down on paper as quickly as she could "lest she fall asleep again and forget them". Now that's inspiration!

The song was published in 1862 in the Atlantic Monthly and quickly became popular. It has been widely used in politics and society, movies and TV, and has been recorded by everyone from Judy Garland to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

Today we honor all the men & women who have fought and are fighting today on foreign shores to protect the freedoms that we hold dear. I'd like to mention my friend Emily's son who is in Iraq in the military. Come home safely Jared.

This is not the full text of the song, which has six verses - these are the three that I like best.

BATTLE HYMN OF THE REPUBLIC By Julia Ward Howe

Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord,
He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored;
He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword:
His truth is marching on.

(Chorus)
Glory, glory, hallelujah! Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah! His truth is marching on.

I have seen Him in the watch-fires of a hundred circling camps,
They have builded Him an altar in the evening dews and damps;
I can read His righteous sentence by the dim and flaring lamps:
His day is marching on.

(Chorus)
Glory, glory, hallelujah! Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah! His day is marching on.

In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea,
With a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me:
As He died to make men holy, let us die to make men free,
While God is marching on.

(Chorus)
Glory, glory, hallelujah! Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah! While God is marching on.

You've got to have friends.......

2009-05-23T15:34:00.001-07:00

Or so Bette Midler says -

A long time a go in a land far away - well, really, it was the spring of 1976, right here in Bellingham - but that seems like such a long time ago -( many of my co-workers hadn't even been born yet, for pete's sake...) anyhow, I digress -

My 3rd "Real Job" out of college was as an operator at an answering service. (first paying RJ was lunch prep at a local restaurant - second was lifeguard at the local YWCA - you can't say I didn't use my college education - all those swimming classes finally came in handy) - It was a fun job - if you like to talk on the phone that is (The Shepherd would NEVER make it at an answering service). We had the old style switchboard "cord boards" (you can buy this one on E-Bay - bids start at $999)
they were very efficient - you could even patch calls thru to someone - an early version of call transfer, I guess...

Sometimes when you work someplace, you make friends - some you keep for a few months after you leave (I left there to go on to my 4th RJ - working for a plumber - who was one of the customers of the answering service - what can I say, he liked how I answered his phone), if you are lucky, some you keep for a few years -

These two ladies have been my true enduring friends for about 33 years now! Oh sure, we don't get together as often as we used to - but, we try to make sure we get together on birthdays and a few "important" holidays. Earlier this month, it was Diane's birthday - so we made plans for dinner - Patti's turn to choose - and she chose IHOP - and as things happen, her birthday was also our old boss's birthday. We had just sat down and were perusing the menus when one of us said "Oh look, isn't that Ginny?" (our old boss) - Yes walking down the sidewalk towards the door of the restaurant was our boss from the answering service - - she had called Diane's home to wish her "Happy Birthday" and was told that she was "out to dinner with some friends" -
Putting two & two together, Ginny called Patti's home, and Patti's husband said the same thing - but he graciously told her where we were - so she hopped in her car and joined us! (here she is, in the pink shirt)

Well, we talked and talked and talked - they all talked about their children and grandchildren - I showed pictures of Sinda and our new lambs for this spring -

I've made some great friends here in the "blogosphere" - and some might even make it to the thirty year mark - but by then the three of us will have been friends for over 60 years - Whew - that would be splendid!

"Oh, You got to have some Friends
Something about friends, Just right friends
Friends, friends, friends"

Friday Night Date

2009-05-15T23:28:00.001-07:00

Friday night is our "Date Night" - My sisters know it is pointless to call because we won't be home - my girlfriends know that I'm not available on Friday's for a "girls night out" -

We go out to dinner - Panda Palace for Chinese (although we've been trying out a new place in Ferndale that is almost as good but has MUCH EASIER parking) - El Nopal for Mexican, Billy McHales for burgers and steaks - and here's a picture of one of our favorite spots - The Hilltop - used to be an itty bitty breakfast & lunch place by the side of the road, but the road got wider and the restaurant had to go - so they built back off the road - a really nice new place - homestyle food - they are open for dinner now - and they do a bit of catering - The Shepherd can order liver there (blecht) and I don't have to cook it - they make a mean Ruben sandwich and do a great job on burgers, steaks and taco salads -

We have dinner and go over plans for the weekend and plan our menu for the next week - putting together the rest of the grocery list that we started at home.

Then we go to Haggen's and get groceries for the week. For fourteen years we shopped at another local grocery chain (that shall remain nameless) - but I just got fed up with the c**p that they had for produce and when they changed their house brands to some cheap off brand stuff, I decided to do a little cost comparison - (They also started to carry the type of bread that The Shcpherd likes) I had just assumed that they were more expensive than this other chain because their quality is so much higher - but you know what - as long as I keep to my list - which almost always has the same things on it - and keep out of their marvelous deli and specialty items - our grocery bill has been running the same or maybe even a little less. And their produce is just the BEST. They have 30 some stores in Washington and Oregon under the Haggen & Top Foods names.

The other nice thing is that we can go into the Top Foods in Olympia or Yakima on the way to my sister's or stop at the one in Wenatchee when we go over to the Ranch - and know that we're going to find the same brands and quality that we get at our home store. It takes so little to keep me happy...Ain't life grand.

Gretchen's Fiber Frolic

2009-05-12T23:26:00.001-07:00

On April 25, we celebrated our anniversary by taking a drive down I-5 to Monroe to go to the Spring Fiber Frolic at Gretchen's Wool Mill and Quiet Waters Farm.

True to form - there were lambs frolicking in the pastures - coming down to see who was there.

After being used to our itty bitty Shetland lambs - these guys are huge! But very cute!

2009 is the United Nations International Year of Natural Fibers - and one event that is happening is the World's longest scarf competition. Check out the "Keep The Fleece" icon on my sidebar - and read all about it. I really want to put a team together - the event will benefit the Heifer Project - (you couldn't find a more worthy beneficiary)

There were about 8 or 10 people spinning and many looking on - there was much talk about which wheel was best - and much buzz about our friend Doug's litttle pocket wheel.

Sometimes I think I'd like a new wheel - at least one that was easier to carry around than my Ashford Standard.

And the most exciting thing of the day for me was getting to meet Meg Gregory from The Black Sheep Creamery. What a lovely and sweet woman. And if you get a chance to try their soft cheeses, don't pass it up. They are delish.

A friend of Gretchen's was there with this interesting great wheel - it was like having a wheel and a drop spindle mixed into one.

I also want to let you know that I restrained myself and did NOT buy any fiber - but there was lots to look at.

A good time was had by all.

Happy Mother's Day

2009-05-10T16:02:00.000-07:00

Mother's Day is not really one of my favorite "holidays" - it reminds me of what I don't have.

This picture of my mom was taken when she was in her early 40's - a small piece cropped out of a family picture. (I have lots of others, but none digitalized - maybe someday I'll buy one of those transfer machines - not tops on my list of things to spend money on at this point though.)

She died February 10, 1978 when she was 58 from cancer. My dad died three months later in May 1978 from cancer.

I see how conflicted my friends are about their aging & dying parents and I think - "Hmm - Been there, done that, got the T-shirt."

We had some wonderful Mom Stories at church today - Some funny, some poignant. But, talk is cheap = If you haven't called your Mom today to tell her "Happy Mother's Day" - get on the stick - do it - someday you'll be glad you did.

A visit from Dr. Amber

2009-05-09T14:46:00.000-07:00

Dr. Amber came to visit last week. The Shepherd & I walked out to greet her. I was very polite, (even thought I was a little tired of being on a lead for a while while we waited for her to get here). She thought I was very handsome!

Everyone got shots and had their hooves and eyes and tails checked. The Shepherd was pleased and said that he thought she was "very thorough" and she had such nice things to say about the girls.

Dr. Amber thought my little boys were very cute too. But I heard a rumor that she gave one of them a "hoo-hooectomy" - that could explain why Galloway was walking a little stiff-legged after she left...

Don't look so horrified girls - you know your turn is coming.

It only hurts for a second.

She's gone now, can we go back outside?

Pretty in Pink

2009-05-06T22:47:00.001-07:00

I just love this time of the year - flowering cherries, plums, almonds, crab apples - they all have PINK blossoms - I especially like this tree in our back yard.

There are many of them in town along the streets and after the hard rain and winds that we have had for the last few days, there will be pink petals all over the place - looking like pink snow drifts.

Years ago when this tree was younger, there was a finch that would sit on the branches and pick off the flower buds one by one. I imagined that he was taking home a bouquet to his wife.

These are wild bleeding hearts - I don't think my domestic plant is blooming yet. The blossoms look like dancing ladies one way or ladies in their bloomers if you turn them upside down.

This adorable little lady was in the Easter basket that my Secret Pal from church dropped off at my office the Friday before Easter. There was a Lily of the Valley in bloom and lots of really good chocolate in the basket too. A Dor A Ble !!! Thank you Secret Pal!

This is the most perfect dogwood blossom. Actually the what we think of as pink petals are actually "bracts" and similar to the poinsettia, the flowers are the tightly closed part in the center, which will open up in a few days.

This lovely pink blossom is on our star magnolia is just a blush of pink. The pinks are rare and hard to find - but really pretty.

Going (not to far) back in time -

2009-05-02T23:27:00.000-07:00

Yup, its back to March (just before I hurt my back) and more music - - -

A year ago when The Shepherd went to our church’s district meeting, he brought home a new song book, "The Earth & Spirit Songbook". Compiled and edited by musician
/composer Jim Scott, (who is also a Unitarian) this book is a collection of over 100 old and new songs by many well known modern day songwriters. Unlike other “sing-along” books, this one includes all piano accompaniments and chord symbols for guitar. Scott also makes it very clear that if any of the songs from the songbook were used, that you needed to send payment to the author/songwriter.

One of the songs in the book is the song “Somos el Barco”, which The Shepherd aka The Minister of Music wanted to use for one of our church services. So, as the “secretary to the Minister of Music” I set about to contact Jim to find out about what we needed to do. And while I was at it, I mentioned that we had enjoyed his concert the last time he was in Bellingham. And, while I was at it, “Oh, by the way, if he ever was out in the area again (he now lives in Massachusetts) would he consider doing a concert at a little church like ours?”

To make a long story short, he sent me the name of the author of the song, a suggested acceptable donation for its use and, yes, he had heard a lot about our little church and yes, he would be interested in doing a concert for us – unfortunately the timing wasn’t right – going into the summer when our church services are on hiatus – oh, well, maybe another time.

So, a couple of months ago, when I got an email from him – he was going to be out in Washington and were we still interested in doing that concert? I was excited! I talked with our minister, everyone on the church board and (after a promise that I would underwrite the concert if we didn’t sell enough tickets), the concert was scheduled for March 20, as a benefit for the Blaine Family Service Center – a local organization that our church supports.

Well, Holy Cow, I had forgotten what a lot of work it is to promote a concert, and with all the bad weather we had in January & February, and then the problems with Moni and the lambs – Yikes – the concert was only three weeks away and we hadn't sold a ticket! But, many folks seem to plan "last minute" these days and thankfully, everything worked out OK – I think there would have been a few more of our members at the concert, however it was the same day as the memorial service for a long time member of the church, and people just couldn’t do both functions. However, we not only sold enough tickets to make about $150 for the Family Service Center, but we totally exceeded Jim’s expectations about the concert – (Yeah!)

I have really been enjoying the three CD’s that I bought from him. Jim’s warm and inviting voice is very much like James Taylor and makes you want to curl up on the sofa with a “blankey” and a nice cup of blueberry tea (the kind made with Grand Marnier and Amaretto if you please). His music ranges, as the old saying goes, from the ridiculous to the sublime. Scott is probably best known for the song “Common Ground”, but he is an astonishing musician and song writer. He will often take a bunch of kids and a few ideas that they come up with and write a song about something totally off the wall that makes you tap your toes and you will be whistling it for days.

Here are some quotes the media has said about Jim Scott -

“Jim Scott sees his guitar as an instrument, all right. But he views it as an instrument to build bridges between people. His performances are "celebrations of the common humanity of all cultures - our connectionswith each other and the earth," as he puts it.”

“The performer's work on songs such as "Common Ground" and the "Missa Gaia/Earth Mass" with the illustrious Paul Winter Consort (1977 – 1984) pushed him into the national spotlight and he has since collaborated with top jazz, classical and folks artists, plus appearing often now with concert choirs.”

A review of his ALBUM, "SAILING WITH THE MOON" said: "The Rainforest Song" contains not only one of the catchiest melodies on the album, but masterful counterpoint work which seems to create a sonic rain forest with dewy vocal lines bursting, then fading into the main melody. The Braided Rug," a cut about a rug made from old clothes and the memories they spark, has a twisting melancholy to it."

Paul Winter has said that his music "sings of the life spirit."

Pete Seeger called him "some kind of magician."

Mr. Scott is a gifted singer/songwriter whose music blends jazz, folk, Latin, Caribbean, and other influences.

"The folk music tradition is the voice of the people," Scott concludes. "That's what I like to think I'm representing."

Jim tours quite a bit – especially in his native New England – you should keep any eye on your local music events and if he comes to your town, make sure you go – you won’t be disappointed.

That Awful Clock! (borrowed from Miss Peach)

2009-04-30T20:22:00.001-07:00

Miss Peach really struck a chord with me when she put this sweet picture on her blog. It is how I feel every morning lately. I go to bed early because I am so exhausted from my back hurting all day and then I have to get up early (Ok, at 6:30 a.m.) to go into work at 8:00 am because my co-worker is not back full time from her surgery yet. Woe is me - That Awful Clock Again..........

Payday is over and I just have to finish my church newsletter - then I have stuff to tell you clear back from the middle of March!

Happy Anniversary to us!

2009-04-23T22:37:00.001-07:00

Here's to another 15 years of peaceful co-existence.

We celebrated with a dinner of leftovers and fresh baked rhubarb pie.

Saturday we'll go on a trek, ending up at Gretchen's Wool Mill Spring Fiber Frolic and Spin-In. Should be a fun afternoon.

Happy Anniversary Sweetie.

Got some catching up to do......

2009-04-21T23:17:00.001-07:00

Ta Da - got the new camera to download to the computer. Not the easiest software to use, but, I guess I'll learn - you know that story about "old dogs and new tricks????

Meanwhile this shiny blue balloon heralds the arrival of Cooper - or as The Shepherd calls him "Hurricane Cooper" or HC for short.

The craziest thing is that The Shepherd went back to the pictures of the very first lambs we had born here - guess what they looked like???

Little black fuzzy guys with black & white spotted heads. Hmmm - the more things change, the more they stay the same.

And this two headed monster is Vern/Galloway - checking out the dirt on the other side of the fence. They are goofy little guys -

And here is Sinda posing in the sun for her latest portrait.

I made our reservations for our hotel room for Black Sheep tonight. Almost screwed up - I thought it was the LAST weekend in June - nope - it's the third weekend in June - Luckily I realized it before I made the reservations, etc. Now I have to remember to change my days off at work too. And start cleaning house so the house sitter won't think I'm such a slob...

Things go from bad to worse..........

2009-04-18T22:44:00.000-07:00

Random stuff to catch up -

The week before the Talking Heads were born, I bent over to dry my toes and wrenched something in my back - It didn't really seem to be too bad - like when you pick up to heavy a load at the same time that you turn - Then I spent an hour out in the barn watching babies be born and getting cold - that and stress from work turned my back into a pretzel - So on to muscle relaxers, Reiki, Chiropractic, going to the MD to make sure it wasn't kidney related. It's better now, but still not back to 100 percent
My assistant at work had neck surgery on the 7th - she was only supposed to be out for 5-7 days - but they had to fuse two of her vertebrae - involving doner bone, a plate and two screws - I've got to hand it to her though - she came in and worked for a couple of hours yesterday (10 days out from surgery) - and will start back part time next week - meanwhile - work kind of "piled up" - there's only so many hours in a day...
I was having computer memory problems - little messages that popped up on the screen, Internet Explorer freezing up, things running slower than molasses - I was encouraged by some articles that I'd read recently - - "Oh don't get a new computer, just add memory to your old one" - so I took it into a local computer repair shop that was recommended by several people. Well, my computer was old, and, it sounded plausible at the time - but it was not possible to add more memory because the slot on the mother board was bad, (or something like that) and by the way, you'll have less memory now than you did before -and, we have a refurbished computer for $375 that we could sell you - Of course I went for the refurb - no sense in throwing good money after bad, was there?
Got the "new to me" computer home on Monday (had to wait for some Antivirus software to come in) hooked it all up to the Comcast modem - No do workey - to quote an old friend... - called Comcast - walked through all the steps - Oh, you can't hook this up with a USB2 cord (like the old one was) - you need an Ethernet cord - OK, so we have lots of those hanging around the office and my boss said I could have one - brought it home - went through all the "steps" with the Comcast person and it still didn't work. Came home from work on Friday with three other cords - just to make sure I didn't have a bad cord - STILL didn't work - So I asked the Comcast person if I could go get a new modem - Sure, they'd give me a new modem - but she didn't think that was the problem - called and chewed out the computer guys - he was sure the problem was NOT the computer - and by golly when I got the new modem hooked up, it went "Well hello there - lets get you set up and hooked up to the internet" Houston, we have lift off....
In the process of switching over my hard drive many programs disappeared - perhaps I didn't have them loaded right in the first place, but my photo download program, a couple of other miscellaneous things and ALL MY FAVORITES from Internet Explorer- Of course that didn't mater because they switched my browser to Mozilla Firefox, which is OK, I guess, I just wish they would have asked first.
There is a poorly marked stretch of road by our new Fred Meyers that, if you're not paying particularly good attention, the right lane will take you off on the frontage road - which a lot of people don't pay attention to and then they cut in front of you, causing stomping on the brakes and cuss words - that happened to me today - (I was the stomper and the cusser, so to speak) But you know, all things happen for a reason - if I hadn't had to slow down those - oh, three to five seconds - I would have been in the wrong place at the wrong time. Just a mile down the road from my "stomping and cussing" I was literally three seconds behind the guy that got "T-boned" by a car pulling out of a driveway. Stomped on my brakes, screech, halt - less than a car length from the accident - threw on the flashers and called 911 - Luckily there were no injuries - only a couple of badly smashed cars - (altho the guy whose airbag went off is probably looking for some pain killers about now.)
As I mentioned above, the photo download program disappeared from my desktop - which is kind of a moot point now that (hm mm) someone who shall remain nameless dropped the camera when I was handing it to him, and now the lens is stuck on open or as the camera screen puts it - "Zoom error" Shoot - I was kind of thinking about getting a new camera, but not quite yet - so, off I go to Costco to get a new camera - I'm hoping however that someone, somewhere can fix the little guy - that way The Shepherd can use it for his own and I'll take the new one.
Pearl had her lamb today - a single ram lamb - his name is Cooper - or Hurricane Cooper, as The Shepherd calls him - If I can figure out how my new camera works - you'll get pictures in the next couple of days.

Well, The Shepherd aka, The Choir Director aka, The Minister of Music talked me into playing for church tomorrow, so I'd better get to bed. Some good things really did happen over the past ten days - Easter - a great present from my Secret Pal at church - and getting to hear Tapestry Artist Sarah Swett at my spinner guild meeting last weekend. Her work is incredible - she has an article on Spinning for Embroidery in the last Spin Off Magazine. Oh, so talented and a very fun speaker as well.

It's a small world after all

2009-04-11T11:11:00.000-07:00

Not a very good close up, but The Shepherd has this bright yellow forsythia blooming in the greenhouse right now.

He has spent the past couple of days root pruning and cleaning pots, getting everything ready to move out to the benches in the garden.

A pretty pine with a very gnarled trunk.

I'm fascinated by the lichens that grow on some of the plants - they are about the size of a straight pin.

Or smaller...

This little weeping larch has the most intriguing looking little cones, and when the needles first come out, they are as soft as they can be.

He moved this out of the greenhouse onto our front porch this afternoon. I always say -" Some people re-arrange their furniture. The Shepherd re-arranges his plants..."

ON the Hook -

2009-04-09T23:14:00.000-07:00

The only crochet project I have going right now is this scarf made from "Vanna Baby Soft" yarn for my younger sister. She picked out the colors, and I really didn't think they would look too good together until I started the scarf - but they do.

Also, the angle of the picture makes it look like I have really increased my gauge, but it's really all the same size.

I used a pattern that I found in this "Box of Scarves" - Very handy - each pattern is on it's own card, so you don't have to schlep around this big book or worry about getting photocopies made of your pattern. You just have this one 8 1/2 x 5 card that you can tuck in your bag with your yarn. Very handy.

Crocheting in the back loops only gives the scarf this cool texture - and the chevron pattern is so easy, I understand why my grandma made dozens of afghans in this pattern.

I'm still working on the brown and caramel colored plied Shetland yarn for The Shepherd's sweater vest. I'm a little over half done. It is such a huge commitment to make enough yarn for that kind of a project - I like to crochet, but I think making the yarn is half the fun.