Catching Up

Home again and I've spent the morning catching up on the news about the hurricane. So many sad stories. We had our tiny share of it last night; wind and heavy rains but as far as I can see no damage. The craft tent needs some minor adjustments, I think, due to the wind. Your heart has to go out to those who are suffering so much loss in the hurricane's path.

Yesterday Dad and I spent the day at the VA Medical Center, learning all about diabetes management through exercise and diet. All very sensible and correct, well presented and logical. My dad, not one for enthusiasm, filled out the evaluation sheet with 'outstanding' on nearly every aspect of the program. Although we learned a lot I don't know if we will do what we should to preserve our health. I'm a prime candidate for diabetes, being overweight and with it in the family background. But...!

A package of yarn and scarves to dye arrived while we were gone yesterday; fun to prowl through that last night and start thinking of colors. I'd like to have a few pieces ready for this weekend; I'll be busy! Not to mention being behind in bunny chores again after two days "off".

Back to the Days Away

Special Little Visitor Trying on Gourd Mask

Another busy week, with a short trip, the craft tent and then Dad's class requirements for VA taking up some time. Saturday I set up my wares at the craft tent and then relucantly left the girls, because I had promised to go look at a Victorian house with the SO. Dad came along and although it rained some, we had an interesting trip. Our route followed one that we used to take for family vacations to visit Dad's relatives, so it was interesting to see how things had changed, and how some had stayed the same. The house was a lovely shabby gem in a small town that has seen better times. My friend put in an offer and we're waiting to see what happens. I forgot to take the camera but if he gets the house we'll be heading back soon.

Sunday was lovely, with sunshine and some cool breezes. It was fun to set up with sweet Emily, savvy and knowledgable Cheryl and Sue, happy in her surroundings and busy with plans for next week's big festival. Emily's charming little girl came by and modeled Sue's red gourd mask. Sue had honey as well as her gourds and some produce, while Emily was busy packaging her beeswax candles. Cheryl crocheted and sold lovely potholders and had cushions and other nice hand-sewn pieces. I plied some chocolate angora and then started spinning the silvery Coopworth again. We had some visitors and the time flew by with all the contented busy activity.


Vacant home

The monarch had flown by the time we came back for the weekend, leaving only a tattered remnant of her chrysalis. There are so many butterflies in the fields this year; monarchs are just one species that float over the aging flower heads. I saw a pair of crows and a big black butterfly this morning; the butterfly was hovering over the crows and they didn't seem to notice it.

Today Dad and I spent the day with VA; not a very interesting tale. There are required classes he has to take to keep up his veteran's benefits. I had always heard negative things about the Veteran's Administration but I have to say that the people and the facility at Roanoke are impressive. Everyone there has been so helpful in helping us navigate the paperwork and other requirements of keeping Dad healthy. And now he can go to our local clinic under his VA insurance, which saves so much trouble!

Busy Day Ahead

Malachi

There is an interesting light outside. Hard to describe. Very still and cool; the sky is a little pink over gray. The green of the fields is beginning to pale, with the browning heads of red clover and the heavy, pale salmon of milkweed above the dark green of ironweed down by the creek. The fading blooms of the Rose of Sharon and the opening of Autumn Joy remind me of the coming days of fall. A cricket serenaded my sleep last night.

Yesterday morning I packed up angora to send off and was hit by an allergy 'spell' that wrecked the rest of the day. So I put off bunny chores, like shearing, that I wanted to do. I don't have too many that need shearing, fortunately, and can make it up early next week. But I don't like getting behind! I spent the day pricing jewelry and dozing, with a nice visit to my recovering cousin that is at home now. Sweet to sit in her lovely house and talk about everything under the sun!

Today we have to get going early and set up the craft tent, then I'm running off with the SO to look at a house he's interested in about an hour and a half away. He's thinking of moving down closer; Dad asked me why the town he's considering. I said it was because I didn't want him too close. I thought Dad would never stop laughing!

Bunny House Work

Greenberry's Blueberry Belle

Spent the day yesterday cleaning rabbit trays and shearing and tattooing a delightful litter. I like a sweet bunch of rabbits that are calm about shearing; I did four bunnies yesterday. Every one of them was quiet and didn't give me any trouble with any part of the process. And they posed nice for pictures for the web page. Lots of bucks there now, though!

This darling girl is staying here with me. Blueberry is really Blueberry II; I had a lovely doe from a similar breeding that escaped from her cage and didn't do well in a fight with a cat. Sad things happen sometimes. This girl is a gentle little one. I decided I wanted to separate her from her brothers and put her in a cage with Maggie. Maggie didn't like having company, though, and had Blueberry cowering in a corner. They're young to be territorial but I had to rescue Blueberry. I popped her in with a couple of pure does and there was another ruckus. I finally just moved all the young does around to different cages. Everyone was some place new and they all settled in just fine. The weather was nice yesterday so I was able to let rabbits play outside. They are so enjoying the cooler breezes and temperatures!

Lily is perking up with the cool weather, too. We took a walk Tuesday down to my mom's, along a changed Concord Road. Summer is passing, Joe Pye weed is making a dramatic stand along the roadsides and Queen Anne's Lace decorates the edges of the field. There's a different feel in the air and the woods are quiet, insects call instead of birds in the trees. Lily paddled in the creek and the water was cool and clear. At my mom's pond the bluegills came up to see what we were doing but no frogs jumped, as is usual when we visit there. But fresh corn at my mom's for dinner was a welcome result of the changing season; Lily sat on the porch and watched us eat.

Then yesterday morning Lily and I had a game of Chase the Sock. I had an extra navy sock on the line so I tied knots in it for Lily to fetch. She loved the idea; it seemed to be more fun for her than chasing the tennis ball. The ball disappeared during lawn mowing one day but it's been too warm for romps. Lily came in tired and collapsed by my chair for a nap. I heard her whimpering and looked to see her sleeping and wagging her tail. She must have been having a good dream!

Before and after rabbit chores I worked on putting jewelry and bunnies up on the Greenberry House web page. I finally got all the pictures and information up on the All Seasons page and updated the Meadows of Dan page with some events that will be happening in the community this fall. Still more to do, of course.

It's cool and cloudy right now, with some fog on the near horizon. The weather people promise clearing and sunshine today, but I'll be working indoors with more computer stuff. I'm thinking about baby booties, too. People have been coming and asking for baby things at the craft tent. People can be allergic to angora so I haven't done any baby things, but maybe booties would be safe. I have some colors that would be sweet for little ones, I think. All I have to do is make up a design to crochet.

Ordinary Days

After a busy weekend at the craft tent, I spent yesterday running errands and catching up a little on laundry and washing dishes. It was a warm, breezy day and although allergies slowed me down, I felt like I accomplished something. Had a nice visit with Cousin RJ and worked on a special order scarf I hope to have done before this weekend. Worked on getting some china blanks ready for painting, since I actually sold some this weekend!

Bunnies were fine; happy with the cooler weather and the babies are growing like weeds. I had one doe, Snickers, that was supposed to kindle Saturday but she has gone along placidly without showing one sign of an interest in motherhood. Since she was cooperative when I bred her, I suspect that the buck may have been hit with too much heat earlier in the season. Either that or she's just not ready to be a mom. Seems to me that the larger does take longer to mature and settle into motherhood. I'll try her again when she's due for shearing.

While I was finishing up bunny chores in the evening I came out to see four white dogs and two beagles crossing the fields at the edge of the woods. They weren't doing any harm, but it's worrying to see so many dogs traveling together. This is the first time in awhile that I've seen dogs running loose like this. They are sure to get into trouble, with so many cattle in the area. One looked like a Great Pyrenees. I don't think that dogs could get into the rabbit barn but I keep watch all the same.

We hit the gym early this morning; tough to get up after a few days off. Friend Kym had been traveling for a festival so I know it was harder for her than it was for me. But we both felt much better because we did what we should! On the way home we hit a wall of fog just before we got to the Parkway. Really thick and I was glad I know the road so well. The fog has lifted now but it is overcast and cool, with breezes that feel damp and now the rain is falling. Woe to my Dad's socks, hanging on the line!

Since it's wet I'll probably work on the computer today and hope it clears up enough to get bunny chores done the rest of the week. Lily is sleeping on the couch; she doesn't want to go out into the rain. I'll have to rouse her, though, and get the morning feeding and watering chores taken care of. There's not putting off that sort of thing!

A Day at the Meadows of Dan Farmer's Market

All set up at Meadows of Dan Farmer's Market for the day. The sun was bright, the breezes cool.


Sue busy working on beading a tiny gourd. She had Lonesome River Band items as well as her beautiful gourds.


Emily and her lovely beeswax candles. They smelled wonderful! She spent the day hard at work making garlic braids of her homegrown garlic and selling marvelous candles and Brandywine tomatoes from her farm.


I spent the day spinning Coopworth and plying gorgeous Alpaca and silk singles. A sudden shower in the afternoon shuffled things a little but we kept right on working!


A special guest at the market. We weren't sure at the time but some checking revealed that this is a monarch chrysalis, which should hatch in a couple of weeks. We're guarding it carefully!


Such a beautifully perfect little creation!

Rainbows, Shadows and Moonlight

Rainbows Shadows Merino/Angora Yarn

Spent the evening winding and labeling yarn to have ready for the craft tent today. I ran out of pricing stickers and ran up to the corner store to see if they had anything there that I could use. Almost always they have what I want; it's amazing for such a small store. But this time stickers weren't in stock. Fortunately they are all wonderful people and Cathy gave me a strip of stickers from their pricing gun. So I was all set! Lovely to live in a small town!

The adventure yesterday was trying to go to visit my father's uncle and aunt three hours away. Two other set of uncles and aunts were also going, but I knew where I thought they would be and was dumb enough not to ask questions about location at the time. When we got there, we found a house that had obviously been empty awhile and no one in the neighborhood that knew a thing about where are relatives were. I'm sure they are living with their daughter, but since it was NOT a small town no one knew anything about where we could find her. We exhausted all the ideas I had, church, school and more, and then came home. I felt bad about making such a long trip with gas prices so high but Dad was philosophical! Around here anyone could have told me ANYTHING I wanted to know about anybody!

I wanted to welcome a fine writer and excellent mind to blogging. My cousin Jane has started her own blog, Hillbilly, Please! and I'm enjoying her writing and witty posts immensely!

Thursday night Dad and I went to the Reynolds Homestead, a museum and research center in our county. They were showing a film that was one of the results of a project I worked with 25 years ago. Hard to believe it has been so long! The project's goal was recording changes that had taken place in Patrick County over time and it was very interesting to go out and talk to the people. I interviewed all over the county and learned even more than I already knew about our heritage. I was very young then and I would love to be able to do something like this again. I would appreciate it even more and know a lot more about what to ask. Unfortunately so many of the people we interviewed then are no longer with us. It was lovely, and sad, to watch those beautiful Patrick County faces and listen to those softly accented voices and know that they are gone. So many memories lost and so many experiences we can no longer share. But they are preserved in the film, on tape and on paper, which is something to be proud of.


Lily's Place

Lily was waiting when we got home. She is very happy with this old sofa that I bought 'for her' at a recent auction. The wicker one I had before just didn't have the space for a girl to stretch out and be comfortable. I know Susan who visited over the weekend thinks I'm terrible. I had rearranged the cushions for company and Lily objected to them. So I went over and fixed them to suit her. Susan now knows how spoiled Lily really is!

Last night the moon was brilliant; on the wane but still bright and the first time I have seen it this month! Moonlight spilled over my pillow and danced in the rising mist from the fields and pond. The air was very still.

Back to the Bunnies

Color! Hand Painted Merino/angora yarn

While it's fun to have an interesting project going, it's really nice to get back to the quiet of the bunny barn after the busy fun of the folk fair. Tuesday was a day of barn chores and shearing young pure Germans, along with my ermine buck, Greenberry's Shady Grove. He's a nice fellow and I hope to use him in a breeding to "fix" the genetics of his line. Somehow along the way this particular line wound up carrying both the chinchilla gene and the non-extension gene that creates fawn. Not a great combination if you want either fawns or chinchillas, because you will often wind up with ermine. Ermines are white with brown eyes and sometimes show a little shading on the nose and perhaps ears. Pretty but not always what I'm looking for.

I tried out my new Rabbitat tattoo pen on Shady and the two pure Germans I was able to get sheared. It worked a treat! The first doe was a little twitchy but I think I may have been a little heavy handed with the pen and fretted her. After the first one things went great; the rabbits sat still and it was a much nicer experience than the clamp tool. I'm hoping to work on more bunnies today; I'd like to at least get the pure litter photographed, tattooed, sheared and comfortable. I have another litter, Angel's, to do as well; hoping to get that one taken care of the first of next week.

Cleaning cage trays was also a priority while I was working in the barn. I was a little behind and it was nice to really dig in and get things cleaned up. While I was down in the bunny house working the usual afternoon storm blew up. I scooted back in from carrying a load of manure up the hill and watched as the rains came pouring down. It sounded loud on the tin roof. I had never been in the bunny houses during a storm. The rabbits went on placidly with munching hay, playing with toys or just lying lazily enjoying the sudden cool breezes. I picked another bunny out of the cage and sheared her while lightning flashed across the fields and thunder rumbled. She jumped once, when there was a sudden crack that sounded like it hit nearby, and then settled sweetly back into my lap.

There were two more storms in the evening; I was visiting with my mom as they came through. It seems to be a normal part of this summer; rain and warm weather together. Hard to get laundry done and the grass just stays wet all of the time!

Yesterday I had a nice visit from Diane, who came down from Roanoke to pick up a bunny. I got up early and went to the gym, then was finishing up the regular bunny chores when she drove up. Bunny seemed content to go with her, but she reported after she got home that he doesn't seem to be feeling well. Things do go wrong with animals; I'm hoping he is just nervous being away from his brothers and will settle down for her. But with multiple rabbits in a cage I could have missed a problem like wool block. He seemed fine when I sheared him last week but sometimes things can get bad fast with a rabbit. I've never had such a young bunny become blocked but I suppose it could happen. Particularly since our temperatures have been warmer than usual.

After Diane left I got out my dyepots and decided to paint the last of the millspun merino and angora yarn that I have here. My stocks are very low after a summer of selling and I really should work on getting another run of yarn done. I want to do something different than merino, though. While I like the yarn from this blend, I think a more individual result could be achieved with a different wool. So I'm scouting around for something unique to blend with my white angora, and playing with some ideas about a colored angora blend. Also thinking about roving; lots to keep my mind busy!

I liked the result of my painting, despite the backache of standing over the table for two hours applying the color. I used black, turquoise, pink and yellow and wound up with a nice variegated yarn with lots of color! I'm hoping it will dry today so that I can have it rewound and ready for the weekend at the craft tent. Today looks like it's going to be overcast and damp; yarn may not dry any better than my laundry!

A visit to my aunt on the hill for computer lessons and another visit to the favorite cousin completed the day, and I was tired when I came home to settle in with Lily in the computer room. I think she expected another storm; she stayed close by during the evening and occasionally pressed her chin against my ankle as she slept. I got interested in working with a box of jewelry that came in recently from an auction and stayed up a little too late. This morning's gym work out was tough but I really needed it. I woke up stiff and sore, probably from painting yarn, and it was good to work out the kinks. Even better to crawl back into bed after we were done! This morning is chilly, with cool breezes and a low sky. The rabbits are probably happy with these temperatures!

Update on bunny: Jacques, Diane's new bunny, seems fine this morning, she reports. He must have found the move a little upsetting but is now eating hay and drinking water, and everything seems to be moving along fine.

Thank Goodness It's a Beautiful Day

because it's already been one of those. Things had been going pretty well. We got to the gym just as it opened (at 5:30 AM) and had a good workout. Easy trip home and I took a little nap and got some laundry started. It's a bright sunny day with a lovely breeze, not so hot and towels are waving lazily on the line. BUT the power blinked. Just blinked. And when I turned around the monitor was blank. No little blue light. Nothing. Now I'm working with the monitor from the OLD computer that preceded the laptop! Way it goes, I guess.


Storybook Dreams Alm Uncle (Maybe)

Here's a face to cheer anyone, and it was fun going down to the bunny house this morning to be greeted by happy, active rabbits. It doesn't have to cool down much to make a difference to the rabbits, now that they're all in short coats. Except some of the young ones. They were all eager for breakfast this morning and happy with the cooler breezes. This is the debut of the bunny pictured above, a lovely nine week old buck from Storybook Dreams in Maryland. Susan is a teacher and names her rabbits after characters in children's books. I love the idea but this fellow's mother is named Heidi. There are a few male characters in the book, of course, but none of the names seem to fit this fellow. I'm thinking maybe I could get away with Puff Magic, sort of after Puff the Magic Dragon. It's a song rather than a book, but the sire of this buck is called Puff Daddy. Whatever I finally call this fellow won't affect the fact that he's a sweetheart from new bloodlines that I hope will be good for my herd!


Another look at the Storybook boy

Yesterday I went up to visit the favorite cousin and we had a nice talk while Dad went up to the clinic for a check-up. I started a turquoise scarf that is a special order for a customer's granddaughter, and was able to get a few rows done during the day. Then Dad and I headed up to the feed store to restock. There was an afternoon thunderstorm; not a big one but rain. Again. Last night I tried to wind a little yarn after doing some computer work but time flew by and I knew today would have an early start.


Misty's bunnies

Greenberry's Misty has done a fine job with her litter. They are shaping up to be solid bodied little creatures with nice poofy faces. Misty was very protective when the bunnies were small but now she lets me pet them and they are becoming a very friendly litter. The father is a chocolate buck, one of my favorites in personality and these babies should make great pets, breeders and woolers. They carry chocolate because of the father and Misty had two chocolate bunnies, which means she carries chocolate as well. Even though these are albino and don't show their genetics, chocolate bunnies should appear if they are bred to a rabbit that carries the chocolate gene.


Amber's litter

And Greenberry's Amber is a fantastic mother that has raised eight of her nine bunnies effortlessly. I have only had one mother that seemed to be affected by the trials of motherhood; I never bred her again because it just seemed to hard on her little body to take care of the litter. Amber striped all of her wool off and looks very silly, but otherwise she is in good condition and the bunnies are healthy and happy. Of course, all but one of the bunnies is white! This type of litter is fun; they all crowd to the front of the cage to see what you are doing when you come in. It's a little hard to see in the picture but the black bunny is sitting up to see me!


Moth Love

Can you see the two yellow moths on the blue wildflower?

Silent But Not Quiet Time

Meadows of Dan Folk Fair Craft Show

Sorry for the long silence but it has been a crazy week here on the mountain. This was the week I spent getting things together for the craft portion of the Meadows of Dan Folk Fair. It's amazing how much time organizing something like just a craft show takes. I haven't been near the computer in days!

We started the week with rain, but I spent the first part of the week on the phone, tracking down crafters and getting an idea who was going to be available for Saturday. Then Wednesday my uncle came up between showers and cut the grass where we wanted to have the festivities. That stirred up my allergies, and I spent the rest of the time sneezing between talking on the phone and running errands. Hard to concentrate but I managed somehow. On Friday morning I cleaned up the house a bit because I was expecting Susan of Storybook Dreams to stay over. Then the SO showed up and we spent the afternoon laying out the booth spaces and setting up our canopies. Some other people showed up Friday night to set up as well, which was nice because I could see how things were shaping up for Saturday.

Susan came in late Friday evening and it was so great to see her again! She brought a special little fellow with her, and I'll introduce him in my next post. We had a nice visit, all too short, though, and had fun discussing bunnies, fiber and business. Then the SO's son and daughter-in-law came in and we all settled for the night. Everyone was pretty tired after traveling and working all day.

A special treat for me was sleeping outside under the stars; we had planned to set up a tent but time slipped away on us. But it was so warm outside that we didn't miss the tent at all. The stars are summer shy but I could make out the milk way arching across the sky above us. Lily slept curled up beside me and I woke up with the black cat, Malachi, curled up on my feet.

After an early start to the morning and bunny chores, I headed up to point people in the right direction for setting up their tents. With just a few glitches things went very well, and the field looked very festive when everyone was set up and ready for customers. It wasn't long before people started flowing through the tents, looking at the wonderful items made by some very talented people. I managed to get one picture before it got too busy to do more than start demonstrating and talking to people. There were some excellent crafters: some talented seamstresses with lots of different handmade items, woodworkers with beautiful pieces and one with a funny big frog playing a banjo, some beautiful knitted items and so much more. Special fiber folk were an added attraction, with alpaca items and yarns and wool yarns as well. We also had a last minute blacksmith show up, which was a nice finishing touch!

I did get around and talk to some of the crafters, and everyone seemed very pleased with how the day went. I also managed to get over to the fudge tent; couldn't miss that one! My mother and stepfather spent the day with us with Wendell's wonderful birdhouses. Wendell was nice enough to run errands and feed me! A local church set up a bake sale and brought bottled water around to the crafters, which was much appreciated!

My sister-in-law set up kid's activities in her big tent and whenever I got a chance to look over at what they were doing it looked like everyone was having fun! There was also a group of Civil War reenactors that walked around in period dress and had tents set up in the field as well. People seemed to enjoy seeing them and there were lots of flags and stickers around. Music on the stage at Poor Farmer's Market was very popular and I'm sure the other activities were well-attended, although I didn't get around to see what was happening. We had a booth set up at the antique show as well and there was a lot of traffic. The pinto beans and cornbread sold out!

Sunday I collapsed. After so much work and fighting allergies, I just wasn't up to much of anything. We did go around and collect the trash, then we headed to the mill for a late breakfast. A quiet afternoon restored me a bit and by evening I was ready to wind yarn to get some ready for dyeing this week. I've sold down to where I need some more colors. This week I'm hoping to get back into the bunnies; with the rain, craft show and allergies I'm a bit behind in bunny house tending and baby shearing. And I want to get the tattoo pen out and see how well it works!


Civil War Reenactors at Meadows of Dan Folk Fair

Day of Interesting People

More painted porcelain for the craft tent

Wonderful day yesterday! I got moving early because I had some nice fiber orders to pack up and get to the post office, then a quick stop by the antique store to see what was happening. The boss was busy selling oak furniture. All this after doing bunny chores in an early morning that was bright and breezy. The rabbits were happy and active, enjoying the cool air.

We settled in at the craft tent after some refining chores to the tent itself. My nephew and his young friend helped us out and spent some time with us. Nice young fellows; they went fishing in the pond and had good questions about the spinning process. Enjoyed their company.

Some great people stopped by the tent; nice tourist customers and then some locals. A grand lady that is an artist and designer stopped in and we had wonderful conversations with her about all her experiences in art and travel. Quite nice to have her interested in what we were doing. Another delightful neighbor came through; it was wonderful to see her and she wanted a scarf for her granddaughter. Good to catch up with the news and her interesting family.

Then friend Kym and her friend from Chicago came by and it was wonderful to see them looking so happy and rested! A trip back to Chicago by air was a wise decision, and a Kym doll and painted leaf plate are going back, along with a sweet little gourd.

During the day I plied another skein of the silk noil and angora yarn; really like the way it has turned out. Then I spun and plied more of the Tintagel Farms mohair; looks like a small bobbin is left of the roving. Next in the work basket is some natural Coopworth in silvery hues; looking forward to working with that again!

We packed up under the threat of a storm but by the time I finished evening bunny chores the sun was shining again. I headed up to the local nursing home to visit the favorite cousin, who is recovering there from the recent surgeries. She's in fine form and it was wonderful seeing her so close to being home! I didn't stay long; it had been a busy day and I needed my dinner. We did some catching up and I hope to spend more time tomorrow with her.

This morning has dawned still and gray and there is no hint of what the day will be like. I've been watching Malachi out the window. He's been at the edge of the field, sitting at first as if he was watching something and now lying almost hidden in the grass. I suppose when we go outside we will interrupt his hunting.

Day's End

I was up early this morning, watching the stars as they faded in a pale gray sky. Mist drifted up from the pond and creek to cast shadows across the quiet fields. Nothing stirred except the tip of Malachi's tail as he perched high on the dog lot fence, waiting for the dawn.

This evening I worked outside late, watching the hummingbird dart in the jewelweed and dodging the yellow swallowtail tumbling lazily over the Rose of Sharon blooms. I laid down in the grass beside Lily, to make her wonder and to watch the clouds fade into a silvering sky.

Better

Rose of Sharon outside the porch window

It's so easy to watch these brillant days pass, with warmer weather and so much to do. YOung bunnies in the barn suddenly all need their shabby little coats off while chores loom on the computer and housework and laundry piles up everywhere. And with allergies stalking me every day, ready to leap up and make the warm hours useless, even less gets done than I intend and hope for!

There's very little blooming here except wildflowers. My untended flower beds run riot with weeds; I did pull up a bunch of jewelweed to make room for my poor iris and lilies and try to find the hostas. A few surviving bee balm from past herbal days are spotted in among the weeds and there are some shasta daisies booming in a moat of poison ivy. I'm hoping next spring, with some help from the fellows here and the encouragement of such great gardeners as Cathy and Cyndy, I'll have something better to show than weeds!


Morning Glory

Of course the weeds are beautiful. Some of them. Not the poison ivy. When we were children we roamed all over the farm and picked the flowers. Bladder campion still grows here, a tiny flower with a seedpod that eventually dries with little seeds that can be poured out and spread. Queen Anne's lace and ironweed tumble through the grass as richly as red clover in the fields. There's a plant here my folks called a nettle; don't think it really is one but it has a star-shaped blue flower on a plant with leaves protected by spines. Blackberries are still sour on arching vines growing wild on the farm; we would pick them for hours in mid-August with warnings about snakes echoing through the hills. We never saw a single snake; I'm sure we were far too noisy!

Started our gym program this week; enjoying Kym's company and I'm sure eventually I'll enjoy the exercise! Rough week to begin, with her work schedule and my allergies flaring! Had a bunch of phone calls to make yesterday for the Meadows of Dan Folk Fair, which is coming up SOON! I was able to get the local people fine but my cell phone went on strike and wouldn't get a signal during the day. I had a fight with the long distance company a few years ago when my local company accidentally cancelled my phone service because of an event that was happening here. Did you know that the phone company would just cut you off because someone called and said that they were moving in? The promoter that was using our land for parking decided they wanted a second phone line put in at my house, but when they called the phone company the phone people assumed I left. I got it straightened out with the local company but the long distance company wouldn't give me back my good calling plan. So I quit using long distance at home. I may have to go back to it, though, if the cell phone keeps being such a pain. Might be time to drop the cell phone service instead, since I don't travel so much anymore.


Lacy fields

Weekend Accomplishments

Silk and angora, then mohair

A quiet weekend at the craft tent made for lots of spinning time. It's been nice to get into some of the stash. The Tintagel Farm 100% mohair roving was in the Autumn colorway and has turned out to be a nice variegated yarn. I like the subtle variations in color. There's probably one more skein left in the ball of roving for next weekend. The silk and angora is very pleasing to me; I like the textured bursts of silk color in the frosty angora. Despite not feeling wonderful all weekend, at least I accomplished something. I didn't sell anything but Sue sold a gourd on Sunday!

Yesterday was not so much about accomplishment, but we did run to town and pick up a load of rabbit feed. A friend is having car problems so I had a nice visit with her as I ran her home in the evening. I had to lay down after the trip to town to nurse the ear ache but it seems to be finally easing off after a day of aspirin and coddling. My favorite cousin is back in the hospital after coming home too soon, I think. A bit upsetting but reports are still good.

Hoping today to get some energy back and work on shearing some coats from little bunnies. Although it's lovely and cool right now, August is usually our hottest month and I want everyone to be comfortable! Laundry awaits as well and some computer chores for the antique store. Talked to the SO last night about an auction he went to over the weekend; sounds like some interesting items will be traveling down with him next trip!