Friday, February 18, 2011

Spring is trying to spring here in western Kentucky

Last week our temperatures were single digit and we had several inches of snow. The area school kids enjoyed a week of sledding and playing in snow. This week our temperatures have neared 70 most days and a tremendous number of my friends and coworkers are battling either the flu or raging sinusitis.

I feel fortunate: I feel well and am gathering my trays, seeds and supplies to get my garden seeds started. When I have seeds sprouting, I truly feel spring is near. But still, I wish my friends felt better.

On the farm our numbers are growing. Our sow, Mary Lou, gave us new piglets. Several of our sheep have given us lambs and we're hatching out chicks almost every day. All of our farm family are thriving and so are we!

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Snowy 2011

Today is our third snow day in a row and I'm loving it. My son is 12 and his friends are coming and going, leaving their footpuddles everywhere.

My laundry and housework have me busy, but my attention is on the huge batts I received back from Fantasy Fibers. I had sent them about 30 lbs of wool, mohair and alpaca from my farm back in September of 2010. I received it back from them a week or two ago, but just got around to opening it today. There is still plenty of VM in it, but it's 1000% better than when I sent it! My animals aren't coated, and when my son puts out hay for them he usually just tosses it down from the hay loft (onto their backs). Fortunately for me, I like to comb my wool and this gets out most of it. The fiber I sent off was some that I didn't have time to work myself; plus I wanted to see how "processed batts" looked! What I don't sell I will spin for my own uses. I'm hoping to learn to warp (and weave) my large AVL loom soon, and want to use lots of my handspun for weaving. I'm working on a lovely merino now that is spinning like it wants to be socks. We'll see once it's washed and whacked!

Things have been super-busy on our farm. I've thought of a thousand posts for my blog, but haven't taken the time to put them here. I want to blog my farmlife this year. I feel validated when I read about my own daily tasks and accomplishments. Odd, huh? It feels odd, but still comforts me.

We have a small litter of piglets out in the barn. They are 9 days old and very lively. We also have several lambs running around and several more due. Our chickens are beginning to lay a little more reliably, so we're gathering eggs to sell, as well as keeping a few to incubate. I'll keep my blog updated as new additions arrive!

Happy Snow Days to all!

Saturday, June 14, 2008

Whew, Time Flies!

Something's missing here! I could've sworn that I've blogged since April 6, 2008 - but it's not here. I gotta quit drinking the wine that Maureen serves us at Sit 'n Stitch! (Maureen's our most gracious LYS owner!)

Today is World Wide Knit in Public Day and we had a blast here in Paducah. I'm worn out! We started our day at 8am at Market Square Coffee (thanks Val!) and shop- and cafe-hopped until 10pm tonight. I think we should do this more than once a year. I'm thinking semi-annual if not quarterly! The weather was nice, we had a great turnout, and most of us made good progress on our WIPs.

On the home front, we've place 2 more foster weimaraners since my last blog post. Right now we're fostering a handsome booger named Jackson. He has no manners and very little training, but those are his only faults. He's a lover who just wants all the attention! We're working with him to get him better socialized, then he'll be posted on the website for adoption. Wish us luck!

Going to bed now - it's been a long day knittin' and I'm tired.
G'night all!
Lisa

Sunday, April 6, 2008

Mourning the Loss

Well friends, I'm head-over-heels in grief. Yes, grief.

Ya see, we had some hellacious storms roll through here at the end of last week and Thursday night, my house was struck by lightening. House is ok, but we lost almost all our electronics, including my computer and brand new, shiny new, still-has-the-new-smell DSL. Can I get an OH LORD! here? now gimme an AMEN. Thanks.

So, here we sit, at our public library (my son and I) trying to get our online lives back on track. He MUST feed his Webkins and I must pay bills, read Ravelry, check the Rockin'SockClub blogs, and so forth. These are crucial, dontchaknow?!?

The rain's passed for now, and it's pretty and sunny here at around 60-65ish outside and Ashton and I have been out and about in our orange VW Thing and having fun. Life ain't too bad!

Yesterday I drove to Louisville, KY to deliver Baron - he was the first foster Weimaraner we got through the Louisville Weimaraner Rescue Organization. A wonderful couple from Cleveland, OH adopted him. On my way home from Louisville I met up with a 'rescue animal transport volunteer' in Elizabethtown, KY and picked up Sarge, a 2-year old male Weim. He's one of the most handsome dogs I've ever seen and he's GINORMOUS, weighing in at 90lbs. Let me tell you: this dog is Awesome!!! He's trained, doesn't need to be crated, has perfect house manners and is just the TOTAL package!!! Don't tell anyone (specifically my boyfriend) but I'm thinking of adopting him myself!!! I'll fill ya in here later, when I decide whether or not I'm going to adopt him. My son wants him too!! We already have 3 great ones, so maybe I'll let someone else have this big wonder-dog. Know anyone looking for the perfect dog?? Send him my way!!
Ha!

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Happy Rainy Days Everyone!

Well, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. Sing with me, "Rain drops keep fallin' on my head. Just like the guy whose feet are too big for his bed, nothin' seems to fit, sooooo I'm never gonna stop the rain, it keeps fallin', because I feeeeeeeeel, nothin's worryin' me-e-e-e-e-e-e."

I'm sure those aren't the actual words to the song, but they fit the rhyme and the rhythm, so there ya go. That's all I need to declare it a song. Heh!

I've been knitting along on my new STR socks for March, Leafling, and I'm oh-so-loving them!!! I think I've found an almost knitting-nirvana: the perfect pairing is BMFA's medium weight sock yarn on my 2.75mm nickle KnitPicks DPNs. Man does that yarn glide! I've almost gotten to that sickening point where I'm grieving when I finish my socks. I want to keep knitting them! It's like reading a good book and upon the conclusion, you actually MISS the characters - you want them back in your daily life, so their story can keep going. Ok, so you don't get that way - I never said I was normal.

Anyone notice how I haven't posted to this blog in quite a while?!?!? Well, blame it all on DSL. That plus Ravelry => surfing knit-fool. I'm hooked. I really wish I had some other exciting news to tell............oh wait.... I do have some goodness to share!!!

I foster weimaraners for the Louisville Weimaraner Rescue Organization and both of my fosters have been adopted!! They've both been placed with good homes in Ohio. I also got a call today about taking in a new foster, so I'll most likely get him this weekend if not sooner. I love Weimaraners!!!
Well, I gotta get shopping - I have 2 swap partners to shop for - yay for me! I love shopping for other folks! Toodles!

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Can I get a HELL YEAH, ovah heah?

Woo Hoo! to anyone listening (reading.) I got the bestest present an impatient person could get, well almost. Today is the wonderful, magical, special, orgasmical day that I got DSL!!!!!!!!!!

Yep, I've been on dial-up for a year and a half (had cable internet previously, so dial-up really chapped my ass.) Yesterday I blogged that life was good. Now today, it's really true!

Other than that, nothing's new. I'd blog more, but I'm going to go surf the 'net now.

Happy HumpDay t'morrow!

Monday, March 17, 2008

My Questionnaire plus All's Fair in Love and Ravelry!

I'm going to post my responses to the Favorite Color Swap's Questionnaire here after I've rambled a bit, so bear with me!
Life is good - I placed one of my foster weimaraners this past weekend to a wonderful couple from Columbus, OH, and my 2-yr old weim took a 3-point major win at the dog show in Louisville this past weekend. Rock on, Noli! And my son scored a 100 on his science test! Yay, Ashton!
I'm on vacation this week (except for a little moonlighting 2 days, the rest of the week is mine!) so I'm going to finish a few projects here around the farm and do a little knitting. I'd rather do a lot of knitting, but work and chores keep interrupting. In a fit of insanity last week, I ripped up a big area of carpeting and installed laminate flooring (if you've never installed laminate, you should - it's easy and fun!). The flooring looks great, but I still have to install the quarter round and the thresholds before I can say I'm actually DONE. Then there's my live Christmas tree that I still haven't planted - that's on the TODO list also. I figure with as much rain as we've been getting (and expecting 4" more over the next 2-3 days) it's absolutely stupid for me to continue watering the damned thing. There's also the 6 rose bushes I bought at the end of last summer that need planting - you guessed it, I've been watering those too. Maybe if I just toss the tree and the roses into a low-lying area in the yard and let the rains come as they may, maybe they'll all get buried up to the appropriate levels at their root crowns and we can call it even, me and God (or Mother Nature). How's that for an ecologically sound idea? I won't sweat and grunt and the plants can make their own holes in my mud and live happily ever after.

NOW, the Questionnaire:
Favorite Color Swap Questionnaire
1. What are your top three favorite colors?
pastel, bright, muted. Sorry, but I like all colors. Purple is my least favorite, but I still like it.
2. What crafts do you really enjoy?
knitting, quilting, beading, scrapbooking
3. What products do you really covet?
I love accessories! I love stitch markers, tape measures, stitch holders, you name it.
I like pretty scissors, too (I even run with them.)
4. What other activities do you enjoy besides your favorite crafty things?
reading, cooking & baking, horses, riding 4-wheelers and hunting (I go, but I really don't hunt), and driving my VW Things.
5. Is there anything you collect?
dustbunnies
6. What is your zodiac sign and/or Chinese zodiac symbol?
Scorpio. I was born in the Year of the Monkey, I think.
7.What are your favorite��scents/smells?�types of music and/or bands?�authors?�animals?�places to shop?�season?�yarn/fabric/paper/other craft supplies?�candies or goodies?
my favorite scent is Aveda's Shampure and anything herbal or outdoorsy - I don't do too well with food scents. I listen to classic rock, some hard rock, jazz, country, classical, pretty much everything except rap. I just flip the channels to avoid the announcers on the radio. Favorite authors include Diana Gabaldon and Jodi Picoult. I like to shop for anything except clothes! I love to shop in Chicago! My favorite season is any transition: I love when winter blooms into spring and when summer starts bursting into fall. I don't like working with acrylic yarns, eyelash yarn, or super tiny sock yarn - all others are ok! I like any paper goods! I'm a stationery 'ho' and love anything nice to write on and to write with. My sweet tooth is the reason I'm not a size 8! I've never met a candy I didn't like except black licorice/jelly beans. I LOVE CHOCOLATE!
8. Do you have any wish lists?
The only thing on my wish list is for my TO DO LIST to go away.
9. Are you allergic to anything?
Nope.
10. Do you have any pets? What are they?
I have horses, goats, guineas, barn cats, a guard chihuahua and 4 weimaraners at this time.
11. Please include anything else you would like your secret pal to know about you- anything that would be helpful in finding you little gifts that you will really enjoy. Also, if you have a Ravelry ID, please include it here.

My Ravelry ID is HappyCRNA