Saturday Sky and More Purple

Saturday Sky

When we were kids we would spin hours laying on the hill below the house watching the sky. Jet trails have always been a part of the scene. We'd watch as they thinned, slowly sometimes and sometimes immediately, depending on the wind.


Angora/merino yarn

A best seller here, dusky purple tones in millspun Greenberry House Angora and Thistle Cove Farm merino. I call it "Blackberry Vine".


Shetland Roving in purple and black

And another dye pot, hand painted Shetland Roving.

Portrait

From Ryan Terry’s Portrait Machine, by way of Hillbilly, Please.

Booking

Colleen tagged me for this meme a long time ago. I've been working at it, honest!

1. One book that changed my life: I couldn't pin down one if my life depended on it. At each time of my life different books have been important, and life is so constantly changing. Perhaps the writings of May Sarton and Emerson have influenced me most in my decisions of how to live.

2. One book that I have read more than once: Books have been so much a part of my life, since I was quite small and I read many of them over and over. My grandmother read to us constantly, and books were regular gifts even before we could read. Books passed down to us included Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, Anne of Green Gables before the books were popular and were hard to find, and most especially Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. I have read all of the Anne books and Alcott's writings over and over again. Later I discovered Jane Austen, Anthony Trollope, Angela Thirkel.....

3. One book I would want on a deserted island: Just one? Something really, really big that I could read over and over without being bored. Complete works of Shakespeare or the Bible, Plutarch's Lives, or something. Or a big blank one, so I could keep blogging!

4. One book that made me laugh: Hot Six by Janet Evanovich. All of her books make me roll; this was the first one I read because of a book club. I read them all, over and over, too!

5. One book that made me cry: This was the hardest question of all; many books are touching but I can't think of one at the moment that made me really cry.

6. One book I wish I'd written: I read too much; I can never think of just one book! There are so many awesome writers out there; how to chose just one to emulate?

7. One book I wish had never been written: I can't think of a book, but there are things I wish hadn't happened for people to write about.

8. One book I am currently reading: At the moment I'm between books, just finished a fascinating epic Dracula hunt entitled The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova that my aunt gave me, along with a stack of other great books that included Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides.

9. One book I have been meaning to read: There are a lot of these, too; old favorites that I want to search out and read again, books by favorite authors that I haven't found and books suggested by friends.

I'm tagging whatever bookish folk that might want to take it on; it's a fun meme!

Random

Sammy and Sue cut the grass around the tent yesterday and the scent is wonderful coming through the shop windows this morning.

The mist was rising from the pond and creek when I got up this morning. A single strand of spider spun silk stretched from the trumpet vine on the house to a bloom of the weigelia. Thousands of silver misty beads were strung along its length, ephemeral pearls.

There has been a large orange spider living in the Virginia creeper above the back door. Every night she built a tidy web in the corner at the lintel, near the light, to catch the dozens of tiny insects attracted there. At dawn the web disappeared, to be reconstructed again in the dark. For the past three days there has been no web; the elegant spinner had vanished. This morning there was a tiny fragile web, higher in the corner, and a little silvery spider in the corner.

The colors in the fields are changing as red clover flowers turn brown and ironweed begins to bloom.

My partner is doing an antique show here in Patrick County, and last night he met a Congressman from a nearby district. I recognized the name; the gentleman didn't announce himself as a politican, of course. Ron seemed a bit surprised when I told him who his customer was. By and large our local politicians don't seem to get too uppity.

I was thinking yesterday that I'm really glad I'm not in my 30s anymore. My 40s have been great but my 30s were not fun.

My cousin brought me bags and bags of clothes the other day; I may never buy another stitch for myself again. And my uncle left a box of Moonglow pears on the welcome mat this morning, with a note to tell when they will be ripe!

This morning I made myself a tomato sandwich for lunch, from a fresh tomato right from my uncle's garden. A handful of cherry tomatoes to serve as a snack, with yogurt and fresh spring water.

Riches!

Corriedale and Shetland Rovings

I got home yesterday evening after a busy day at the shop to find a bulging box of roving from Wooly Knob Fiber Mill. I sent a Corriedale fleece from Rising Meadow Farm in North Carolina and a Shetland fleece from Thistle Cove Farm and had them processed separately. They both turned out beautifully; the Shetland is SO soft and the Corriedale is an amazing rich light brown. I only managed to wind one ball of the white Shetland last night but got two pounds of the Corriedale done. The Shetland is a lovely color, but I think I may dye a little of it, since I don't have any other roving around. I might even dye a little of the Corriedale, although the gorgeous natural color seems too perfect!

Thanks, everyone, for taking a morning walk with me and Lily!

Saturday Sky and a Purple Day

First, though, go check out the Corn Maze page for an awesome photo of the 2006 "Corn Acoustics!" design.


Early morning on the Blue Ridge Parkway

The sky changes through the day; the first hours after dawn were silver and haze, with the rising sun gilding the clouds with gold. Then the sky warmed to brilliant blue, only to pale again with a gathering of clouds.


Saturday Sky with Joe Pye Weed

Late summer colors include my favorite lilacs, lavenders and purples. My walk with Lily this morning was rich with color, as tall Joe Pye Weed bloomed rich above thick green masses of ironweed which is just beginning to open.


Ironweed

As always, you can click on a photo to see a larger version. Ironweed is one of my favorite blooms; in the damp field near the creek a huge patch takes over every fall. Lily was too busy sniffing for animal trails to admire the flowers, and I think she wondered what I was making all the fuss about.


Thistle Bloom

A more carefully kept farm wouldn't have thistle, but it wouldn't be nearly as interesting. We have an abundance of goldfinches and other small birds on the farm, and I think the variety of plant life encourages their presence.


Corn Maze Stalks

Even some of the corn stalks are a deep, rich purple that is almost black. The dark tassels are really pretty, and we should see if there's some craft we can use with them.


Blackberries!

I don't have the time lately to go out and search for big patches of blackberries, but I enjoy finding these little briars with their bright little treasures!


Butterflies and Joe Pye Weed

When we came back though the butterflies were out, fluttering around the blooms and lazily feeding. There are lots of butterflies and moths here this year, too. And grasshoppers and spiders.


Still more color, butterfly on ironweed

This swallowtail seemed to pose for me; I appreciated the cooperation!



Red clover in the field

Small blooms in the fields; even though they are little they cast a reddish haze over the meadows, with sparks of white clover and Queen Anne's Lace.


Rose of Sharon

And back to the yard, to be greeted by the sight of the last blooms of the Rose of Sharon by the back steps. Lily snuggled up on the couch for a nap and I headed up to work, ready for a busy day.

Maze Adventures

Getting ready to fly by Meadows of Dan

This little plane went up Monday with my brother and a friend so that they could take pictures of the corn and hay bale maze for promotions and advertising, and to have a record of all that hard work. I didn't realize at the time it was flying around town that it was quite this small. I am not fond of flying, although I'll do it. I love to visit other places but I don't really enjoy the process of getting there. I think these guys were pretty brave to fly off in this little thing; I don't think I would have managed it!


Flying By!

We all had to run out when we heard the plane Monday afternoon and see it as it circled. I haven't seen the pictures yet but Sue says they're great; can't wait to know how the rest of the maze looks, besides what I can see out the bedroom window. They have had a few anxious days between slow growing corn and possible bear visits, but the maze really looks good now. The grand opening, with all sorts of dignitaries and music, is scheduled for Labor Day Weekend. It should be a great show! I'm also hoping that they got some good pictures of the town from the air; I think it would be neat to have those for the web sites.

I've spent my week with computers. Mom has a very nice new one; I'm green with envy. We finished setting it up last night. The aunt on the hill had some electrical problems last week and now her computer won't start; I suspect a power surge and hope the computer doctor can manage a repair. At the shop I'm still working on inventory of books, and I also spent some time this week doing data entry for the hardware store. Not much work with the spinning wheel or the rabbits this week, but the cooler weather has made the bunnies much happier. I lost a senior doe yesterday morning; one of the older rabbits that I'd grown very fond of for her slightly sassy disposition. Cheshire was over four years old and had seemed a little unwell for some time. She continued to eat pretty well until a couple of days ago but just didn't seem quite like herself. Sometimes you just get a feeling that things aren't going well with a rabbit, but there isn't a lot that can be done if it's a heart problem, or cancer. Cheshire didn't seem to be suffering; she was just quieter than normal. We'll miss her here!

After the Folk Fair Weekend

It rained on Saturday. Not a complete disaster but a bit uncomfortable here and there. I didn't take the camera because of the rain but I think my sister-in-law got some good pictures of the horse and wagon ride and some of the other activities. Lots of people around, in spite of the rain, and we had a good day at the craft show and at the shop. The hay bale maze was a hit with the kids and there was lots of great music throughout the day. I had a great time visiting all the people that came to the fair in spite of the weather. Fortunately it stopped raining up in the morning and the overcast skies kept things cool.


Fine wool and mohair singles

I've been spinning a HUGE one pound ball of roving that I bought at the Shenandoah Fiber Festival back in May. This is what I got done while I was at Abington a couple of weekends ago, and since then I've spun two more bobbins in a finer single as a special order for a customer. This is going to be a beautiful, interesting yarn and several people commented on the colors in passing the wheel.


Shetland/Mohair Single

The same customer also bought the last of the roving I had for sale and asked me to spin this up as well. I'm really enjoying spinning this; it's the last of the Shetland/mohair roving I hand painted from Lura at Friendship Farm. There's also a nice purple ball in line to be spun. I'm hoping to finish these off this week and ply them. Another project I'm working on is some dark blue angora to be plied with fine wool for what I hope will be an interesting yarn. And I'm working on a scarf from the pattern that Cathy Clark submitted for our next issue of Fiber Femmes! I'm using the gorgeous silk and angora yarn that Chris from Woolybuns gave me for winning a contest on her blog.

I heard rumors that there was going to be a Bloggers Convention West up in the wilds of Central Virginia but I haven't had a chance to check the details. Sorry to have missed it!

A-Mazed

Hunter's Hay Bale Maze Design

Here's a little better picture of the hay bale maze, taken from the upstairs of one of the buildings here in town. Sue worked all day yesterday and got most of the second tier of hay bales up; it looks terrific and the kids are going to have a great time. Only $1.00 to go through the maze!

Everyone has been working hard getting ready for the Folk Fair tomorrow. The food folks spent the day getting their area ready back here next to the shop. Mom has been having some computer problems so she came up to use this one for her email, and some folks that know Sammy came in to shop and we all had a nice visit. Sue was here, too, so it was a fun time.

Then I called Chris at Woolybuns and had a wonderful time talking to her. I have the pleasure of writing an article about Chris and all the wooly buns in Connecticut for Fiber Femmes next issue, scheduled to hit the site on September 1. It was nice to catch up on things voice to voice rather than through email and the time flew by, until my cell phone battery died and a customer came in.

The rest of the day was pretty dull; I spent most of it working on the computer inventory, getting that ready for the weekend. Book after book after book....

Days Off

Wild Flowers in the bunny shed

It was a beautiful day yesterday; breezy and sunny, with a sudden summer shower that gave me a chance to curl up on the couch with Lily and read for a time. I sheared my lovely Autumn Joy, to her relief, and was able to move her to a cage of her own after selling several rabbits on Monday. Her babies are all reserved, except for the little lynx that I'm keeping for myself, because she had an ear collapse.

This summer has been hard on bunny ears. It's called summer ear by some but often the ears drop and just don't come back up. I've had some pop right back and some stay down the last couple of years, but it has been warmer than normal. The little lynx dropped an ear so she's staying; I don't intend to breed her. I also have a magnificient young pure German buck with an ear that fell; he's staying, too. The dropped ears don't seem to bother the rabbits; it just gives them a dorky appearance!


Hay Bale Maze

I cleaned bunny trays yesterday, walked the dogs and played with them and just generally had a 'day off' from the computer. Checked emails and that's about it. I watched sister-in-law Sue and nephew Hunter working hard all day, though. They're putting up a kid's hay bale maze for the fall season. Hunter designed it; you can't really tell well from this picture but it's a tractor. Very well done, with the path winding through the wheels and lots of dead ends!

Quiet evening, with a book at my elbow and crocheting, while Lily napped at my feet and TJ gnawed his chew toy nearby. This morning I plunged back into busyness; updating the bunny sale page with the few bunnies that are left for sale and hauling more books to the shop for cataloging. Today will be another day off, though; I'm running away to play with favorite cousin.

Saturday Sky

Saturday Sky

It's a lovely, breezy day here on the mountain, with clear skies and just a few high clouds. The wind is tossing the flowers and trees, and I'm spinning sock yarn.

Hey, y'all, remember me?

JAG Socks, pattern by Cathy Clark

Where on earth do I begin? It has been SUCH a long time since I've been here, and I feel all out of practice and unsettled. But I'm working on getting blogging back into the day!

Right before my sudden disappearance JAG came for a visit, and brought along the wonderful socks that Cathy made for her. Although I really liked the pattern in the pictures, the socks were even better up close. The shells are terrific and these are real socks; if it ever cools down enough to wear them they look like they will be comfortable.


Jagasaurus

Closeup of shells, and a just for JAG touch.


Sandra and Leslie in Abington

This past weekend I met Sandra in Abington and we shared a booth for a Fiber Arts Festival that was held in conjunction with the big Virginia Highlands Festival. We had a terrific time enjoying all the folks that came by and comparing spinning notes and talking up a storm. More about the weekend will be on Fiber Femmes, probably tomorrow.


Greenberry House Temporary Home

Adn now for the reason I've been off-line so long. The shop that we've been building is moving along v-e-r-y slowly; it doesn't look like much is going to happen for the next few months at the house. So one day, after some discussions with several people about several subjects totally unrelated (what gets your brain going is strange sometimes), I decided to ask the owner of this building if I could rent it and put in a temporary shop. He wasn't willing to rent the entire building, but I did get two rooms. So as of this coming Saturday Greenberry House has a more solid existence, with stuff right out where we can see it, instead of out in the space of the Internet.


Books, and books and books...

And so I've been cleaning and stacking and stocking, while waiting for the Internet connection to be moved up from the house to the shop. Good thing I was busy; being disconnected is a strange feeling. I've really missed visiting blogs!


And bottles, and Avon stuff and dolls and toys....

There's still quite a lot to do before I open on Saturday; right now a great little wicker display piece that favorite cousin gave me is drying in the sunshine, ready for a new paint job. I have silver to polish and put up, more glassware to wash, and even more books to price and put away. A big change from spinning my days away.