How to Spend a Rainy Day

NOT on the road! It was terrible driving the highway with rain pouring and traffic. Glad to be home safe! More meetings; I'm sure lots is being accomplished but I'm not much help. The ways of a committee are a mystery to me; I'm too used to just getting the job done without much fuss.

Early yesterday morning a thunderstorm erupted here, causing Lily to growl and hover protectively over me in the bed. Or maybe she just wanted reassurance; I'm not sure who was doing the comforting. She came up right beside me and sat watching the lightning, occasionally growling. I had a book so I read awhile, petting her idly. When I turned the light off, she curled up with her chin against my thigh. I think maybe she was the one a little scared! I got up a little later to get out to do bunny chores under low gray skies; the rain started again before I finished. Lily ran out and then back in; she wasn't interested in staying out if the thunder might come back. The black cat came in soaked and was happy to snooze on the couch while I was gone.

The construction project looked pretty good when I left, with the plastic all neatly in place, but sometime during the day it came up and now there's a mud-wrestling pit right by the back door. No damage done, though, as far as I can tell. There are small rivulets of mud flowing across the driveway.

Last night I made great progress on the special order Shetland shawl, thanks to the purchase of two more crochet hooks. Maybe if I keep one in reserve the other will stay put for long enough to finish the project!

Today the sun is out and it is cooler. I managed the chores early and ran down to the antique shop on the highway to do a rental. Now I'm heading out to do a couple of bunny hair cuts and clean some cages, while the sun is out and I can enjoy the work.

Finished, and Unfinished

Hand Crocheted Scarf from Brooks Farm Yarn

Finished the scarf crocheted from Brooks Farm's Handpainted Four Play yarn. I didn't really intend to finish it so quickly, but one thing after another came up with the other project and this one made a good bag project to carry around. It's about 60 inches long and the colors just jump at you.


Shetland Handspun Yarn, Hand Crocheted

I made a good start on the special order Shetland shawl, then I lost the Size J aluminum crochet hook. Found another one and lost that, too. Both are MIA in the SO's truck; we won't go into details as to how a little thing like a crochet hook could vanish in a small pickup. So that was why I finished the scarf this weekend instead of working on the more pressing special order; hard to find a crochet hook in a strange place. I don't have one of these at home, but tomorrow there are more meetings so I can make a run by a Michaels or something. One thing I have discovered is that so far I haven't lost one of the expensive wooden ones. Just the cheap aluminum. Either I'm more careful with the wooden ones or they don't slip out of the stitches as easily!

Short Trip

Victorian House

Thanksgiving was a lovely day, with dinner at mom's with Wendell and my brother. Then my mom and I went down to visit her aunt, who is in the nursing home below the mountain. Aunt is ailing a bit, with her mind wandering into the past. Not a bad thing, really, although she can get a little upset sometimes. She talked of people long gone as if they were right up on the mountain. Kind of sad, but sweet to think that to her things are as they've always been.

Friday was spent running errands and covering up the footers for the building in case we have really cold weather. I wanted to get a little work done on the bunny house but we ran out of time. It was fun crawling up into the hay loft to get old hay to stack onto the concrete footers. The loft of the barn is the nicest place, with the sun coming in between the boards.


Lily's Trick

Saturday we got up early, tended the rabbits and headed down to the coast to visit the SO's sister. On the way we stopped at an auction and left a few absentee bids. It was a long trip. Lily went with us and I think she got really tired. But the weather was wonderful on Saturday, clear and cool and pleasant for travel. It was interesting to see the cotton fields along the way. Most of them had been harvested and there were huge bales of cotton, covered with colorful plastic and waiting to be picked up. Some had been taken away, leaving a white patch of left-over cotton on the ground. Since I'm a fiber person, you know what I wanted to do! I wonder how cotton farmers feel about gleaning, since a lot is left behind. There were a few fields that hadn't been done, and the white cotton looked tattered on the dried plants. There were also fields of soy beans that we saw being harvested by strange machines.

Lily was very good and got to show off her best trick to the family. She will sit with a dog biscuit balanced on her nose until you give her permission, then she will catch it in the air and eat it. She had fun seeing new people, which isn't always true for her! The sister and her husband have restored a wonderful Victorian house, large and airy with beautiful rooms accented with just the right colors.


Beautiful houses

Elizabeth City is a beautiful place, with streets of wonderful Victorian houses. We went out to breakfast and had a tour of the town. I didn't take my camera because I didn't realize the plans, and missed taking lots of wonderful pictures of beautiful Victorian and Colonial style houses. Most of them have been well taken care of or restored; the town is charming. Sister has a store downtown with unique gifts and beautiful decorating accessories. She and her partner have created a wonderful and unique shop! Kim and Carol's, if you're down that way. There's a lovely waterfront area and a big museum.

We headed home under sunshine but it started to rain just before dark. By the time we got to the mountain, the fog had rolled in. I tended the bunnies with the fog surrounding me as if I were totally alone in the world. The lights from town cast a strange glow through the fields. I was reminded of a wonderful essay my cousin wrote about being a child outside in the foggy darkness. It was nice to come into the cozy house, warm and tired after a long day. Lily has been sleeping hard; it was a long trip for her, too!

Oh, yeah...

Happy Thanksgiving, ya'll. (I am SO bad about holidays!)

Winter Bunny Wrangling

It's not winter yet but these fall days are becoming more than brisk! We delayed our gym session a little in case the snow did fall, but it was just cold and clear when we headed up the road before daylight. By the time we got back frost had hardened the ground around the little construction site. I could see the tops of the pine trees in the woods, shimmering as the crystal frost in the needles caught the early morning light.

I did the morning bunny chores with the wind howling around the barn and Lily hurrying through her routine so that she could get inside. The water bottles were frozen again. This requires lugging them up to the house, filling them with hot water and waiting for them to thaw. A bit time-consuming but not really hard. I had plans to go to town with favorite cousin, though, so I had allowed some extra time to get it done. Usually I have extra water bottles ready for the winter season, but this year I'm a little behind. Need to buy a few! Also I need to put plastic up and plug some holes in the barn to make it warmer. The rabbits don't mind the cold at all, but I do! Morning chores include giving them hay; it's lovely to hear them munching away contentedly while the wind roars around the barn. I leave them, happy, watered and fed, and head up to the warm house for morning tea!

I went down to my cousin's charming house under the hill, to be greeted by her cheerful face and the wonderful warmth of her wood stove. There's nothing quite like the heat that a wood stove produces. My house is warm enough but wood heat just enfolds you in a comforting warmth that any other source just doesn't produce. I'm rarely tempted to go back to using a wood stove; I'm allergic to the dust produced and it's a lot of work. But RJ's lovely house was even nicer than usual with the cold outside and the warmth within!

We had a short trip to town; we both just wanted the company and the visit together. When I got home I answered some emails and then headed down to the barn for the evening carrot and pellets. The bottles were frozen. So I hauled them back up, eight at a time, to thaw them out so that the rabbits would have some water during the evening. I'm sure they froze again overnight. When I came back in the phone was ringing. I had forgotten to meet my mom and Wendell at the community dinner they attend every year. I think I would have remembered; it was on my calendar, except for the frozen bottles!

Last night I finished spinning and plying another bobbin of Shetland. Hoping to have enough to finish the special order shawl. I'm almost out of this fleece; may have to look for a pound or so somewhere. I love working with Shetland, may have to check with Sandra to see if she has a creamy fleece available!

I was lazy this morning and slept late. That's unusual and Lily woke me by crawling up the bed for morning hugs. When I get up early for gym she MIGHT open one eye as I leave. But this morning she wanted attention, because of the novelty of having me in bed past seven, I suppose!

Late Fall Days

I fed the rabbits yesterday morning while rain fell in sheets outside, rattling against the tin roof and thundering against the wooden sides of the barn. The rabbits munched hay and rested quietly, lulled by the sounds of a rainy day. I dashed back and forth with water bottles, glad to see the rain after such a long dry time.

I spent the day quietly, working on the computer and spinning more of the Shetland for the next special order shawl. Outside my window I didn't even see a bird stirring through the day, although a wet black cat finally darted into the house to cozy up to Lily in front of the heater. I finally made it down for a visit with my mom and Wendell, then came back for evening feed chores and more spinning. This morning the wind is howling; snow is falling in furious flurries that cover the ground and then vanish.

Progress Report

Shetland Handspun Yarn for Lacy Shawl

I was able to get a little spinning done at the Holiday Show; I want to be sure to have enough for the shawl. I'm getting down to the last of the fleece and hoping it will be enough!


Lacy Crocheted Scarf

And I ADORE working with this Brooks Farm yarn. The feel of the silk/wool blend, the richness of the four ply and the colors are a delight. It's a pleasure to pick it up and just look at it, much less enjoy the softness as it slides through my fingers. This may become MY scarf!


Jane's Shawl

And at long last, Jane's shawl is completed, right down to the little picot edge. It's crocheted from handspun Coopworth in a shimmery natural silver. It needs blocking and the top edge doesn't really curve into a claw!

Brave Bunny Lady

First, I want to apologize about the building and the purpose for putting it up. A few people that I correspond with regularly know that it will be an antique and collectibles shop. Of course the rest of you couldn't know, unless you were mind readers. Sorry about that!

The Holiday Show below the mountain was nice. Not a lot of customers but I enjoyed talking with the people that did come. Very interesting conversation about the future of the county with one young couple. He is a musician and she's learning spindling. They both want desperately to be able to afford to stay in the county and are hopeful about tourism as a means to make a living. I don't often get the chance to talk to young people, but often when I do it makes me think that maybe they'll do a better job than the generations before them.

Another great young couple were vending at the show. She makes baskets and he's interested in early farm engines. They talked with Sue about possibly working up an engine show on the farm here. That would be exciting! Their young daughter tried spinning and gourd making. Sue has a picture (several, I forgot my camera) that I tried to email to my computer but it didn't come, of the little girl diligently working on a gourd. If I can get time to retrieve the show pictures, I'll try to post them later.

A few minutes after I got home Joyce from Indiana arrived, with her husband, to meet her new bunnies. As we went down to the bunny house, we saw one of them sitting happily outside, nibbling on grass. Not a wonderful thing to greet you after a long day at a craft show. The three of us spread out to try to catch the bunny, who thought this was a wonderful new game to play with the people. She wasn't at all frightened; she would wait until one of us was close enough to catch her and then scoot under the barn. I tried to block off access but there are too many places to get under. Finally I sat down at a favorite spot she was using to come out, to see if she wouldn't just wander into reach. I heard a funny noise and realized that Joyce was under the barn. It worked; we cornered bunny and retrieved her just fine. But I don't even know what's under that floor! Very brave of Joyce but a little scary. Joyce crawled out, triumphant, safe and not nearly as begrimed as I had feared! She's taking two does, the daughters of Greenberry's Highland Mary, and a lovely little blue buck that came from a litter between ISeeSpots Elwood Blues and Living Water Farm's Angel. Elwood is one of my oldest rabbits and his bunnies have nice color. I'm keeping a doe from both litters and it will be interesting to compare notes on their progress.

It's been cold and I've had frozen water bottles three mornings in a row. Hoping today that dealing with ice won't be part of the agenda, but I'm afraid it's still pretty cold out. The early morning sky is gray with light seams in the clouds and the pond is black and still.

When Next Week Arrives

Old Garden Spot, Site of New Building

At long last, after hearing that the digger would be coming "next week" since July, next week finally arrived. When temperatures are 16 degrees at night and barely 45 during the day! But at least something is happening and I won't lose my building permit for this fall.


Clearing Off

I left for my meeting before the truck arrived and came back to see that they had already made a lot of progress. The meeting was pretty interesting; it's amazing what can be done by technology.


Moving Dirt

It turned cold yesterday after all the rain. ALL the water bottles were frozen in the bunny barn. Keeping water to the animals is the only really hard part of winter. My usual system requires an extra water bottle for each cage that I trade out twice a day. This seems to keep everyone happy; they eat well this way. I also feed a little more 'wet' stuff before nightfall on really cold nights to try to tide them over. This probably won't be a long cold spell, since it's November, but I should start preparing for more cold days.


More Digging

Kym and I actually made it to the gym this morning, even though it was 16 degrees outside and SO hard to leave the warm bed. The wind isn't blowing, though, and with the sun out I should feel like doing some bunny house chores. Even though it's cold, I want to get the bunnies that will be leaving this weekend sheared off, just in case the drive disturbs them. And I can get some wool weights to put on the pedigrees.


Ending the Day

By the time I finished feeding the bunnies yesterday evening, it was getting cold. But the fellows worked until dark; it just got too cold then. We went out to dinner below the mountain and picked up some supplies for what needs to be done this morning. Today after working in the bunny house I have to run with my sister-in-law down the other side of the mountain to set up for a small craft show tomorrow. Should be nice; we'll be seeing more local people than tourists, I imagine.

Between Meetings

Getting up this morning to COLD weather after a day of much needed heavy rains. The sun is bright but the air has the certain feel of real cold. The stars looked brittle and bright last night. Lily begged to go out early, then barked for me to come and get her when she realized how chilly it was.

The Rural Tourism Summit was quite successful, I think. Beyond the good discussions and instruction from the speakers, there was a nice feeling of hope for the county's future in tourism and a good spirit of cooperation among the participants. A pleasant experience.

Today I have to run to Radford to a meeting for Round the Mountain. They want to work on their website and have a big project planned. Should be interesting!

With all the meetings, not much has been happening in the bunny house. I did get a little buck sheared this week and hope to get more bunnies clipped tomorrow. Too bad it's so cold! I also have to do a little cleaning; company is coming to pick up bunnies this weekend. I managed to get a skein of Coopworth spun and plied so that I could use a little of it to finally finish Jane's shawl. It's washed and drying right now.

As Chris often says, Grrr!

Only a few more inches!

My little length of spun Coopworth wasn't enough to finish the border of Jane's shawl; maybe 10 inches left to do! Isn't that always the way? Fortunately with handspun you can just get back on the wheel, provided you have enough fiber left. And I do!

Oddly warm morning; with haze in the air. Fluffy clouds in the sky don't look much like rain, although there was mention of possible rain in the forecast. Things just don't feel right after the cooler days, when it gets so warm in the fall.

Spending the next three days at a Rural Tourism Summit, sponsored by the county. Although it looks to be aimed toward farmers, I thought it might be interesting to participate. I have a few bunnies, though, due for shearing this week and I'm trying to work them in as well. Fortunately the meetings are being held locally. I sheared a lovely doe, Greenberry's Maggie Mine, yesterday. Forgot to take her picture but she's a pretty tort with lots of 'smut' on her face. Her wool color isn't quite as rich as I had hoped; will see what she looks like when she's older. She was a bit fussy about being sheared, too, but it was a dreadfully windy day and we were in the bunny house with lots of strange noises going on. She gave me a chin rub when we were finished, so she wasn't too unhappy with me!

It was fun to watch Mick, the oldest rabbit in the barn, playing with a plastic bowl. He threw it around, carried it, nosed it across the floor, and finally placed it neatly in his regular food dish! Others were playing, grooming or nibbling on hay; they were pretty calm despite the wind and noise. I let a couple play outside in spite of the wind; they didn't seem very happy with that, though. Wind in a strange environment must be uncomfortable and seem dangerous, since a rabbit wouldn't be able to hear predators if they approached.

Progress

While I'm waiting for this to dry:

Coopworth Wool Handspun Yarn

so that I can finish the last HALF row of Jane's shawl,

and while I'm waiting for this to dry:

Shetland Wool Handspun Yarn

so that I can begin a special order Shetland lacy shawl,

I'm working on this:

Lacy Scarf from Brooks Farm Four Play: Wool/Silk Yarn

Fall Things

Window Garden; time to start feeding the birds

Leaves have fallen but there is still a copper glow in the morning and evening light on the trees. Shadows slant across the fields, moving like arrows with the swift rising and setting of the sun. Here the leaves tumble across the yard and disappear, scattered with the wind. I walked through my cousin's yard, where the crisp brown leaves pooled by her front door. I couldn't resist kicking through the thickest pile to scatter them with a satisfying tumble and crunch.

The pines around my neighbor's house stand tall and dark against the pale blue sky, their reflection in the pond broken by the ripples caused by the wind. The grass is short in the field, brown and green and gold with little hummocks missed by the machines tossing in the breezes. Round hay bales cast heavy shadows most of the day, scattered across the field like the old hay stacks my grandmother used to help build.

Settling in with the fall, I spin and think about dyeing, fall colors tumbling through my head. It would be wonderful to be able to capture the subtle glow of the sun as it shifts and changes through these short fall days. For me it's changing gears and slowing down, although the town has been busy this weekend. The unusually warmer weather has kept people on the road longer than usual as they visit the mountains and admire the changing season.

I worked at the antique store yesterday. It's just outside our little village. Friday they opened the new by-pass on Route 58; several people stopped by the shop wanting to know where did the community go? Not exactly comforting to someone who depends on tourism for a living. Most of our traffic comes from the Parkway, of course, but I will feel better when they put up signs indicating how to get to Meadows of Dan and to the Parkway by old 58. In some ways this will probably be better; tractor trailers and people that want to rush on through will be off the dangerous narrow road through the community. During tourist season it's nerve-wracking to watch the traffic in town. Still, it's a change and not a very attractive one; I'm not fond of change. We can't see the road from the community very well, but it did affect a couple of large farms and one pretty old home place is now stranded alone on the other side of the four-lane. The old road by the church where Lily and I used to walk frequently has been cut off; it's still accessible from the mill road but not as convenient. Time moves on, though, and I learned long ago that there's not much that can be done about changes. All I can do is try to keep my little part of the world safe; my part keeps getting smaller, though.

Heavy Petting Zone

By My Feet

Tea

Morning Tea

Up early this morning because Lily was ready to go out. So I did the chores early, greeted by rabbits eager for their daily hay and fresh water. I left the barn in the early morning sunshine, listening to the rustle of hay and the contented munching of hungry little creatures. The cats swarmed around my feet, if three can be considered a swarm, while I filled their bowls. Even the fish seemed happy to see me; this cool weather makes everyone hungry.

I love to come inside after getting thoroughly cold, especially if I have time to sit down with a book and a cup of tea. I love the ceremony of tea; I probably don't do it correctly but just having pretty dishes and teapots pleases me. When I'm rushed I have this delightful two cup gadget that will brew the tea into travel mugs with none of the fuss, but sometimes I just enjoy the fuss and spoiling myself. A fragrant tea and toast with some of Mom's homemade foxgrape jelly is very satisfying as I sit in my chair, sipping and reading while Lily lies at my feet, hoping for crumbs.

Projects

Angora/Wool Two Ply Handspun Yarn

This is the wool and black angora that I'm hoping to have mill-spun, as soon as I get enough black angora. I just handcarded a little together and spun it up to have a sample. It will look different from the mill and hopefully be more uniform. But I can tell that it will be soft. Although it isn't the pewtery color I was thinking of, I like the warmer tones of this wool with the angora. It should be nice!


Shy Shawl

Jane's shawl was lurking behind the pillows on the sofa this morning, so I decided to get a picture. It won't be long before she's out and about in all her shimmering sterling glory!

Safe Arrival

I heard from the bunnies that were traveling; they arrived safe and seem quite happy in their new surroundings. Always a relief when things go well!

Change

After a glorious week of warm, sunny weather, a heavy gray cloud is moving in with the wind. The fields are taking on a winter look, touched by morning frost into a golden expanse of dying grass. Life seems to be slowing down with the gathering clouds; as I made myself busy during the last warm days, I seemed to feel that times were changing.

Clearing out the mess of boxes on the front porch was the biggest project of the week; trying to make order of all the books and small antiques that I've been selling from. It's frustrating to move box after box, only to see that the book you are looking for simply is NOT there. People think me peaceful but when something like that goes wrong---!

The rest of the week was spent getting bunnies ready for shipment to Wisconsin. I sheared them, quiet moments in the midst of busyness, and took them to the vet for health certificates, gathered up shipping equipment, which involved visits to two different towns, and this morning headed for the airport early to deliver them for shipping. Delta personnel were very helpful, as usual, and folks got down on the floor to peer into the crate to admire the bunnies. Too bad they had to travel sheared; the pure doe had a lovely coat but I was afraid that she might stress out over the trip. Despite every care, traveling is hard on bunnies, by air and by car. But they seem to adjust pretty well; Germans are placid by nature.

My cousin went with me and we had a lovely morning driving back through the leaves that were scattered by the rising breeze. The morning was warm but change was in the air; we fiddled with heat and windows, trying to be comfortable. A short shopping session because we were both "towned out" and we headed home early, foregoing our favorite restaurant. Amazing, except that we had shared a good breakfast!

Slowing Down

Quiet Evening

We had a slow day at the craft tent; lots of people in town but it was windy again and not many made their way down the hill to visit. Interesting young women from Pittsburgh with children that were going to camp out stopped by. Hope they didn't freeze last night!

I ran over after we packed up to see about a problem my cousin is having with her Internet service; anyone know anything about server changes at Sitestar? Their technical support line is answered with a request to leave a message and no one ever calls back. The web page is for sales; no information about problems or anything else. Over and over I'm reminded how much I appreciate my little local service!

We settled in for the evening. I wound yarn for Jane's shawl and the animals settled into the warm house with us. I wasn't feeling very well; too many allergies. So I went to bed early. Dad went dancing!

Woolybuns Puff 'n Stuff

Sheared this wonderful fellow at the end of last week, but just got around to weighing his wool and entering his data in the computer. Not only is he a sweetheart to shear, but his wool is wonderful and crimpy; there was hardly any that wasn't prime and I had a luxurious 270 grams when I was done with him. He's six months old and weighs 8 pounds; can't wait until spring to breed him to some of my best does. Since he has some new genetics for me, I'm hoping he'll add size to the herd. I don't breed for very large rabbits; I like 11 pounds as a top weight for a doe.

Spent the evening with my friend Kym at a museum in Roanoke, working a wine sales table. It was a lot of fun along with a lot of work; you really have to know what you're doing and have a quick mind. As Kym does; I tried to keep things filled and poured out while she handled the questions. We had a fun visit, though, on the way up and down. There were a few organizational glitches on the part of the promoters, though, that affected the wine sales. But Kym had her presentation together well and we did OK with sales.

Today it is so gorgeous out that Sue decided to set up the craft tents again. The leaves are still beautiful and the sun is bright. Time to tend the rabbits and get started on the day.

Celebration of Life

View from the Bunny House



Lily Soaking Up the Morning Sun



Uptown


Cats A-feeding

Ivy Cole and the Moon

I just had to mention that I just finished this book, which was written by a friend of my friend, Kym. Ivy Cole and the Moon by Gina Farago is not the type of book I would pick up on my own. On the surface it seems to be of the horror genre, not one of my favorites. But this 'werewolf' book is far more than it seems on the surface. I was immediately struck by the beauty of the structure as the writer weaved her tale with flashbacks and revelations about the characters. The setting, familar to me as my own backyard, only added to my interest in the story and the names of the characters were right for the area and for the story. The fascinating theme of the story lifts the book far beyond genre fiction.

I won't say more; I never understood how all those teachers have been able to struggle through years of book reports. But if you're looking for an interesting read with some chills but also with some depth and style, think about Ivy Cole and the Moon.