Awesome Weekend in Meadows of Dan!

What's Needlin' Ewe: New yarn shop in Mount Airy, North Carolina

It has been a busy week and weekend up here on the mountain, although you might have guessed that from my silence on this blog! Lots of people came up to enjoy the cool breezes, the Chinquapin Festival, the opening of the Corn Maze and lots and LOTS of yard sales!


Strange tomato from Mountain Meadow Farm and Craft Market

The garden is sort of winding down, just in time for me to be busy with other things. My tomatoes have fallen victim to late blight, but the freezer is full and I'm content to let them go the way of all things. The half-runner beans, however, haven't gotten the hint that fall is on the way and I've been stringing and freezing for days. We're also waiting on the sweet corn, planted late, and impatiently checking the watermelons every week for signs that they are getting ripe!


Wild Aster on the farm

It was a lot of fun this week seeing so many people at the shop. Some old friends came to visit and I met some new and enthusiastic knitters and may have started a couple of nice neighbors into spindle spinning. Everyone that comes in to the shop makes a bee-line for Miss Babs and her beautiful rovings, even if they don't spin. Yet!

We have a couple of great sales going on with two of our vendors. Fiber on the Mountain is running a 20% off sale on her beautiful handspun skeins and Knit Fit Knitting is continuing her 50% off sale on her hand dyed and handspun yarns, mostly sock weight. Come in and check them out!


At What's Needlin' Ewe

I took a break from my shop on Saturday to go down Squirrel Spur to Mount Airy to check out the new yarn shop there and record Episode 3 of our podcast. It was a beautiful drive down the mountain and a lot of people, especially on motorcycles, were enjoying the scenery and the sunshine. I saw the new Angel Overlook about halfway down Squirrel Spur. It's shaping up to be a lovely spot where people can picnic and see an impressive view of a lovely part of Patrick County.

There were lots of people in Mount Airy, but I found easy parking not far from the LYS. We talked a lot about the shop on the podcast, but I do want to say that it is lovely and the yarns they've chosen look to be smashing. I didn't have time to really shop because I had to get back to work, but I'll be heading back down soon to fondle and purchase. The atmosphere is warm and welcoming and I know how knowledgeable Natalie is about knitting and spinning. Check out their web page for classes!


Blue Texel Two-ply Handspun Yarn

I finished the Texel I've been spinning, and really like how it turned out this time. I aimed for a finer single and the resulting yarn is a nice sport to light worsted thick and thin. The colors range from deep to light Carolina blues. I'll be putting it up for sale at the shop as soon as I get the skeins measured and rewound. It think it would make beautiful hand warmers or hats!

And now I'm spinning dog hair! One of the Stitch 'n Chat knitters told her neighbor about my shop and she brought in a lovely bag of combed "wool" from her dog. I think she said it was a Komodor. It has been fun to spin, much like alpaca. I haven't had much time to work on anything else lately, but I'm still crocheting a bag and spindling some of Miss Babs beautiful roving, when I have a break!

Fresh!

Heritage tomatoes from my garden


Beautiful new spinning fibers from Miss Babs here at Greenberry House!


Moss Creek Farm lotions, also at Greenberry House.


Favorite girl, Lily, enjoying cool summer breezes in the garden.

Like another hole in my head....

Jacob Wool

....that's how much I needed more fleece. But this was a deal in a farm's fiber destash, not quite up to selling standards because the sheep managed to get wood chips in their wool on shearing day. I just got it yesterday and haven't been through it much, but it certainly looks worth the price, even with the chips!


Just doin' my job, ma'am....

Once upon a time someone started remodeling the closed in porch of my house. Then he went fishing....and after a few years we split up. The porch still isn't finished, which is convenient for the outside cat, Deuteronomy, because he can get inside whenever he likes. And he likes to come in frequently, as there are luxury accommodations and plenty to eat out there. At noon I went home for a break and there was a mouse lying neatly just where I would step on it when I came into the porch. Thanks, Dude....

And this morning when I got up there was half a mouse in the kitchen, thanks to Barnabas and his diligent guarding of his food bowl, no doubt. Fall must be rapidly approaching, since the mice are trying to come in.


We got a new toy.

I've been spending my one day off a week trying to keep up with the rabbit chores and do a bit of gardening. About a month ago we bought this little thing, which is really a riding lawn mower but I'm calling it my garden tractor. At the age of might-as-well-be-50 I mowed my first lawn on Tuesday and Wednesday. Can you believe I was terrified the whole time? Oh, and that's not me in the picture....

Tuesday we went and got a little cart for the tractor to pull along and on Wednesday I filled the wagon up with bunny poop and proudly drove it up to dump beside the garden. Not so scary that time, so I guess I'll get used to it. I got half the bunny house cleaned out, since my hired helper isn't able to help anymore. Hoping to get the rest next week. A brewing grumbling storm drove me inside before I could finish, so I worked on freezing tomatoes and pears. After the little bit of rain that fell with all that fuss, I went out and got Zeke, a nice German buck, and sheared him off. He seemed very happy to get rid of all that fluff! After a nice supper of grilled fresh local veggies and salad, I settled in to more spinning of the blue dyed Texel roving. I'm going to empty that basket one of these days!

VDOT (Virginia Department of Transportation) is outside on the main road. Looks like they're painting lines. I always want to run across the wet paint and leave footprints!

Innocence...and a garden..

Candide and Other Writings by Voltaire

I like to read....and I'll read almost anything I can get my hands on. Sometimes when I say I'm reading a "classic" I get the feeling that people think I'm pretentious. But when I do read a classic, such as Candide, I realize that there is little difference between the writers of centuries past and the modern author. Both have something to say, and many books that are now considered classics are just as readable as any current bestseller.

And Voltaire surprised me with how simple his stories are. I'm sure I miss a lot of the irony, since I have only a passing acquaintance with the politics and history of his time. But going beyond the satire the stories and short novels that I've read so far have been delightful, witty and applicable to the life that I've been striving to live for the last ten years.

I'm only a quarter of the way through the book, which is a Modern Library collection edited by Haskell M. Black. The first section is Voltaire's fiction, which I have a feeling I'm going to enjoy the most. The first story, Zadig, or Destiny, tells about the trials and tribulations of a truly wise man in Babylon. Part of my interest in this tale is Voltaire's use of deductive reasoning by his character, who gets in terrible trouble as a result. The charm of this story is that it reminds me of a book I was given as a child, called Watermelons, Walnuts and the Wisdom of Allah. This was also about a wise man who could sometimes be very foolish.

Candide is probably the most famous of Voltaire's stories. The main character is named Candide because he is a complete innocent, and considered simple-minded by his peers. Honest and gentle, he is the victim of an injustice that sends him out into the world. Throughout a long series of adventures and misadventures, Candide tries to cling to his love of a beautiful girl and to the philosophy of his old master, who said that everything that happens is for the best. In the end, after many trials and sufferings, Candide concludes the story with the words "But we must cultivate our garden."

He arrives at this as a philosophy that I think more and more people are understanding. Candide's garden was cultivated in order to accomplish the goals that Voltaire sets out in his book, which are keeping at bay the evils of vice, boredom and need. A garden will certain help prevent hunger, and hard work certainly will help prevent boredom and temptation. But for me the garden, and the way of life I try to follow, keeps me focused and connected. Connected with the past, with the earth, with the women that came before me and the women that will come after me.

I value the fact that in watching my mother and grandmother garden I learned skills that seem to come to me naturally now. While I learn something new every day from my garden, I also know I'm building on the traditions passed down to me, just by my observation of their work. I know what those half-runner beans should look like, when to replant the lettuce and how to tell when the tomatoes need staking or watering. And I know how to weed.....

I'm not sure it's necessary to have a physical garden. As life gets more and more complicated and technological, however, I think more people are coming to a place where they need to feel connected. To something. Maybe that's why Internet social sites like Twitter and Facebook are so popular (and you can farm on Facebook, among other things!). There seems to be a social function in almost everything on the Internet these days.

So. What's Voltaire saying? Plant a flower and you'll feels peaceful? As I said, I'm sure I missed a lot of the sharp satire in this story, but at the same time, why wouldn't this be as good an interpretation as any? It's not that simple, of course, because life doesn't work that way. But a few hours in the garden, a few stitches on a crochet hook or knitting needle, a few pages of a book....none of these will solve all your problems and magically give you happiness. Maybe....

The day after the Folk Fair

New Earrings from Rocky Cross Studio

I didn't get any pictures from this year's Folk Fair, although I saw the Chairman of the Community Association floating around briefly with her camera. We had a fantastic day, though, and saw a lot of great people. I was so tired I could barely enjoy a visit and dinner with my landlord last night but appreciated their good food and company!

I saw the earrings above on Barbara's blog not long ago and fell in love with them! They are more beautiful than I can capture in a photo. Barbara is a talented artist and these unique pieces just shine with her originality and her personality. Each pair is different from all the others and the colors are striking!


Gramy's Old Fashioned Hard Candy

I made another serendipitous connection this weekend as well, with a candy make from Dobson, North Carolina. She was selling her hand made artisan candy at the Folk Fair, and I really like her product. It's nice to be able to sell things you love! This is what I would call a "sanded" drop candy, with lots of wonderful traditional flavors such as peppermint, spearmint, sassafras, horehound, blackberry, orange and more. Very much a local product.


Broccoli from the garden

Tonight's planned menu includes fresh broccoli from the garden! I also picked the last of the blackberries this morning, so I may make up some blackberry milkshakes for dessert. According to my sources these broccoli "flowers" that I cut out of the top of the plant are just the beginning...the plants should produce some smaller ones at the sides. After fighting the cabbage worms for the past two weeks it's nice to have a reward!


Mani and Me

There are lots of senior citizens among the animals here. Lily is getting older, at twelve, while several of the rabbits are seven years old and beyond. Mani, a cat that reached his fifteenth year this summer if I'm remembering correctly, was one of the oldest. This summer "Old Kitty" had become quite feeble. I started feeding him special tidbits, fish, well-cooked chicken, and so on to build him up and he had been looking a bit better the past couple of weeks. But on Wednesday evening he vanished and we haven't seen him since. Unusual in an elderly cat that rarely left the yard by the back door. Nothing out of the ordinary happened this week with the animals so I feel like "Old Kitty" decided his time had come and he slipped away.

When Mani came here fifteen years ago, shortly after I moved in, he was a tiny kitten with a badly injured eye. My aunt in Connecticut helped me pay a rather staggering vet bill because he required special treatment to heal the wound. For many years it took a very close look to even notice that anything had happened to him, however, and he thrived as an outdoor cat. Even as a youngster he never got the hang of what a litter box was about, or he was too independent to care. Mani was one of the old-fashioned, cobby bodied tabbies that I used to have here on the farm as a child. I'll miss those black-velvet little paws!

Taking a Deep Breath.....

Vintage and collectible spoons at Greenberry House

I'm sitting here reminding myself to STOP for a minute. It has been a busy week, with the usual good stuff along with getting ready for the Meadows of Dan Folk Fair tomorrow. There have been a few more errands and a bit of advertising work extra but I'm looking forward to the event.

I had a nice surprise when I posted about the Folk Fair on my Facebook page this morning. Deb Goodrich invited me to call in to her radio show way out in Kansas to talk about the Folk Fair and my shop! It was great to talk to her after so many years. We went to school together and Deb is a talented author with a deep interest in local and Civil War history. It was wonderful to reconnect!

I spent most of the Sunday pricing our auction finds from Saturday so they'd be here for people to see at the Folk Fair. Lots of lovely vintage linens and fabrics, books (of course) and some really interesting collectible spoons. Some are older souvenir spoons and others are truly unique...there are some made of old coins, some sterling and some lovely silver plate.


Little Wagon at Mountain Meadow Farm and Craft Market

It's still all about the garden here on my days "off" and I've been picking peas and replanting lettuce in the hopes of having a fall crop. I really enjoyed my Black Seeded Simpson until things got too hot and it bolted. I've been getting tomatoes every day and mixing them in with lovely squash and eggplant I bought locally at Sue's market. Sue got this cunning little decorative wagon from J. D. Briles (336-462-1369) down in North Carolina. It looks great beside her shop.

Wednesday was one of those lovely, perfect mountain summer days. Sunshine, a light breeze and a thunderstorm in the evening. I got out early walked with friend Kym and the dogs, and we enjoyed the last of the moonlight as the day dawned. Then I played in the garden most of the morning, weeding out, replanting, and just enjoying the smell of earth as I picked and shelled peas. Finally I sheared one of my older rabbits, grand dame Highland Mary, sitting out under the spruce trees. She went to sleep and I nearly nodded off myself in the quiet!

Late in the day a thunderstorm blew up, and I settled in with the dogs napping by my side to spin more of the Texel roving. I finished one bobbin and I really like the variations in color from light to dark blue. Natalie and I talked about Texel on our little podcast last week, and I think this week we're going to talk quite a bit more about Natalie and her dyeing and fiber projects. I hear that "What's Needlin' Ewe" is going to be opening in Mount Airy on August 20! I'm going to try to figure out a way to get to the grand opening on September 5!

Well, it rained some...

but who had time to notice? Sadly a lot of folks in Patrick County haven't been seeing the nice showers we've had here in Meadows of Dan. My garden is very happy right now, though. I'm happy, too, because I'm getting a few little tomatoes and the watermelons are blooming! Don't have any idea that we'll see a watermelon here but you never know!


Eggs in a nest in Sue's garden

Sue found a nest in one of her caged tomato plants a couple of evenings ago. She was watering and looking for ripe tomatoes when she saw it. There were four eggs in it and some poking around at bird information sites makes me think the nest might belong to a house finch. According to the books, a house finch will nest twice during the year. There are few things more beautiful to me than birds' eggs. I love the look of them.

I've been wildly busy, trying to get some advertising done for this year's Meadows of Dan Folk Fair, scheduled for August 8 this year. Amazing how fast time flies! I'll be hosting hand spinning demonstrations here at the shop and Blue Ridge Tree Climbing is coming to talk about his interesting tree climbing teaching and demonstrate tying knots. There's a play in town that day, lots of music and crafters and some other demonstrations going on. Even a chain saw artist!

I've also been working on three new web sites, which I'll talk about a bit more when they're all ready for company. And as usual, I'm behind on the newsletter progress but hope to get it out today or tomorrow. I need to start bugging some of my vendors for articles...hint, hint!

And speaking of projects, I've just signed on for a fantastic new one. Natalie of Knit Fit Knitting, on of my talented vendors, is an indie dyer with great ideas for promotion. She approached me not long ago about doing a podcast called "Knitting in the Round" which would feature local artisan yarn, spinning fiber, and the process of creation from the fiber animal to the finished product. We recorded our first session yesterday here at the shop and Natalie has it posted. We also put up a blog, Knitting in the Round, with more details and some photographs. We plan to post a session every two weeks and our next will feature an interview with a local fiber artisan.


Texel Singles

And somehow I've managed to get some spinning time in, between meetings, computer work and the odd weeding session in the garden. I'm trying to fill a bobbin on the Reeves wheel with some fine Texel wool singles. This is yet more of the Texel I bought at Border Springs Farm and had processed at Central Virginia Fiber Mill (there's plenty at the shop if you'd like to try it!) Natalie and I talked about it a bit on the podcast and she dyed it with a cold method which worked well for her. I was pleased with how mine turned out. The roving I'm using for these singles is some I painted with acid dyes in delicate shades of blue.

And some more exciting news that Natalie told me! Not long ago I heard a rumor that someone was going to be opening a yarn shop in Mount Airy, just across the North Carolina line from Patrick County. I was excited to hear about it but then the rumors drifted away. Recently in talking to Natalie I discovered that it's her mother that is involved in this project, and they are just a couple of weeks away from opening "What's Needlin' Ewe?" at 411 North Main Street in Mount Airy. I think it's a great idea and I'm happy to have more neighbors. Yarn crawl, anyone?

Gardening and gathering

Lettuce in my garden

I could bore you for hours with "garden porn" 'cause I love the way the plants look in the evening light. Green comes in so many colors.....and leaves have so many wonderful shapes. But I'll restrain myself here but if you really want to see garden pictures....


Rewards: Amish Paste tomato and wineberries

I've been busy gathering lately, from the garden and beyond. But Sue brought over these delightful red berries that she's been picking out in the wild. She calls them wineberries and they are almost too pretty to eat. I wanted to string them together like beads. I didn't, though. They taste a little like blueberries only better. You can get them from her at her shop, along with fresh sweet corn and beans. Just down Squirrel Spur Road from Greenberry House! Hurry, though, because I don't think they stay in season long and I know people that know about them will snap them up!

I picked enough peas, at last, from the vines yesterday evening to make a nice little meal for me tonight. And I've been picking blackberries, always a favorite of mine, from the brambles right around the house. I'm still getting lettuce, too, from the garden, to eat with local tomatoes, onions and cukes from below the mountain. I've only gotten one little tomato from our plants so far!


Hand Painted Texel Roving

We had a damp morning on Wednesday, a day I had planned to shear a couple of rabbits, so I pulled out the dye pots instead. Hadn't planned on a dye day and didn't have much ready, but I popped in some Texel Roving and did some painting with blue and red. This time I was more careful with the heat and the roving turned out softer...I'm very happy with these results. I'll be banding up the roving this weekend and putting it out for sale here at the shop.


Sandra's Unique Project

I forgot to take my camera to our Stitch 'n Chat gathering last week, but Mary remembered hers and took this shot of Sandra. She's knitting (honest) on Size 50 needles with a thick single made of alpaca, wool and nylon (I think). It's going to be a stole and it really is gorgeous. Sandra says she'll have some similar yarn from this year's alpaca fleeces! We had a nice meeting at the Atlantic Breeze Alpaca boutique and it was lovely admiring all the beautiful alpaca creations.


Barnabas: "This blog needs a cat photo!"

We Did It!

The garden, at last!

Somehow, between rain showers, we managed to get all the seeds and the tomato plants into the ground.  Some of the peas are up, the tomatoes look pretty good despite the wet and we planted broccoli, brussel sprouts and two hills of watermelon.  Planning to get lots of other veggies from Mountain Meadow Farm and Craft Market through the season.

Other than gardening it has been a busy week, despite the rain.  I sheared one of my favorite rabbits, Blueberry Belle.  Belle is the doe in my mom's lap in the picture on this page of the web site.  I also sheared Jack, a nice chocolate buck, also featured on this web page.  Did some necessary cleaning down in the bunny house as well, all before the rains came again.

Imprinting

Speaking of birds, the barn swallows are back on the front porch at Greenberry House again.  Mom looks to be sitting on her eggs, although I can't be sure.  She isn't leaving the nest very much.  Down in the barn there's another nest, and I noticed little heads peeking at me over the side this morning during rabbit feeding time.

During the wet weather I've been inside most of the time, and spinning and knitting.  I don't have pictures of the spinning projects but I finished seven or eight skeins of a brown Border Leicester fleece that has been here for a little while.  The yarn turned out lovely, but I'm still thinking I may over dye it for a variegated effect.  That has proved popular with the customers.  I just started a bobbin of hand dyed red Texel and I'm enjoying the way it is spinning up.

Knitting on a pillow

Last night at Stitching group I made a lot of progress on this project, while I had a great visit with Candy.  I'm hoping to finish this while we're on the way to and from Colorado.  Great time to knit, imprisoned in the front seat of a car!  

Yesterday I had to take the dogs to the vet and it was the usual adventure.  TJ is an angel at home, getting much better at behaving when we're walking together, but is an absolute lunatic in the car.  He seems deliriously happy, but I'm not really sure what's going on in his head.  He barks and whines the whole way with a huge smile on his face and his tail wagging frantically.  Not much fun as a companion on even a short trip.  We managed, though, and on the way home he sat up front with Lily and was a bit quieter.  She didn't love having him there, though.

We got the full set of shots for the dogs because we're going to have to board them while we're away.  I'm groaning with the expense of it all.  I know the cost has more than doubled for regular shots over the past couple of years (although having to change vets may be part of the reason for that).  I adore the dogs and don't really mind the expense, but in the back of my mind is the fact that a lot of people don't feel that way.  I'm afraid that there will be still more abandoned animals because pet owners don't want to pay the high costs of caring for them.  

Lily got sick last night...not sure if it was the heat, putting up with TJ's excitement during the trip or a mild reaction to the shots.  She was restless all night after throwing up all over the living room and then mad at me because I didn't give her supper!  This morning she seems back to normal.  I'm glad I didn't stop off at the library for books-on-tape for the trip after all, though, because I would have felt guilty about leaving her in the car when she got sick.  The vet visit didn't take very long and the library wasn't open yet, so I headed home rather than wait the extra twenty minutes.  I'm going to miss my books, though!

So, Colorado here we come!  I have so much to do before we leave!

The Sun Came Out.....

so I took pictures.....


'Mater Plant, or tomato for you folks from somewheres else


Little pea plants (and an embarrassment of weeds)


Cats enjoying the miracle of the sun


Blue Ridge Parkway at Meadows of Dan

On a warm spring day in Meadows of Dan

Seen around the farm:

Violets blooming


Skunk cabbage...growing


Apple tree exploding with blossom


Neighbor plowing Sue's garden (he did mine, too!)


Hinge aging on outbuilding

Now back to practicalities.  Although I don't know anything much more practical than a garden.  I can't wait to get to digging.  The soil needs to be tilled, because this is the first year I've had a garden patch at this spot.  It's near the grapevine fence, in lots of sun.  And out where everyone can see it so I'll have to keep it weeded!  I've already gotten seeds for sunflowers, nasturtiums and marigolds.  Oh, yeah, and peas, lettuce, broccoli, brussel sprouts....planning to get some tomato plants.  We're sort of getting a late start because it has rained so much but I hope we can soon catch up!

Recycled!  Former refrigerator now feed bin

Sandra of Thistle Cove Farm suggested in a comment on this blog that I use the refrigerator that died as a feed bin.  I would never have come up with that idea myself, but it works perfectly!  In fact, I think that the feed bin will long outlast the life of the refrigerator used for it's original purpose.  It only kept food cold for a year and a few months!  We put it up on cinder blocks on a tarp to protect it from the damp.  Since it wasn't a full-sized appliance it holds two 50 pound bags of rabbit feed perfectly.  When I get the chickens, hopefully next year, there's room in the freezer compartment for laying mash!

Mary waiting for breakfast

Already the rabbits have realized that the sound of the refrigerator lid opening means breakfast, just like the recognized the rattle of the old metal garbage can.  Mary, as senior doe, gets her breakfast first (although it's mostly because she's closest to the door, but don't tell her that.)  Mary is coming up on seven years old now and still has a wonderfully thick fleece, eats well, and enjoys her outings on the grass in the little pen.  She's long retired from motherhood and doesn't seem to regret it.

Mom's Prayer Shawl

Finally finished this shawl yesterday.  Really pleased with the way it turned out.  The soft striping of the sock yarn and the fineness of the gauge really work, at least I think so.  It may be awhile before I tackle a pattern like this again but I enjoyed knitting this!

New project

No sooner did I lay down the knitting needles that I picked up the crochet hook.  This is a pattern from the Spring, 2009 Interweave Crochet, by Lily M. Chin.  It's called Glittering Capelet, although because I'm using a wool yarn mine doesn't glitter so much.  This is a shop sample.  Even thought it's made from a commercial yarn I got at A Likely Yarn in Abingdon a few months ago, I think it will show the effect you can get from our local painted yarns.  

We had a quiet day yesterday here at the shop because of the weather, but I got a nice surprise when Linda came late in the afternoon with some of her beautiful handspun yarns.  We had a delightful visit while we worked on getting her yarns settled onto the shelves and then gave ourselves a treat by visiting Christopher's Pizza just down the road for dinner.  I'm having left-over pizza for lunch!

Anticipation

Of Late Summer's Sweet Harvest


And Looking Forward to Fall


Watching for a Share of Mama's Lunch


Joyful Hope Springs Eternal!