The Butt Ugly Rooster

The rooster looks sooo ugly without his tail feathers. It seems the fox while trying to get a dinner at my expense got the last end over the fence. We checked the rooster out and he is okay - not as cocky as he was- but still crowing! I was watching Animal Planet with Tori and they were putting wing extensions on a parrot because someone had clipped his wings ...wonder if they do tail feather extensions.

We officially got 2.2 inches of rain between Friday and Saturday. This has put a damper on the yard work. The broccoli are up and some cabbage. The corner flower/pond area is raked, the manure is on the gardens. The peas are still not in. I was whining (yes I do that) to Cyndy asking why I don't just say the hell with it and buy my veges and meat and don't plant a garden, have a farm and just have a yard and no flower beds - think of all the free time I would have to spend with the kids/knit/crochet/spin/weave/read. She said it was in my genes. I have to wonder then where Mark and Joyce came from?!?! I got to go to PJ's garden shop yesterday to pick up plants for the boy scouts to plant on Monday. I also picked up some for the front of the bank. Oh and some tomato plants crawled in the flat along with a 4 pack of red cabbage. I tried to get them out but they wouldn't budge. :D

On the fiber front. I plied two commerical yarns together on two bobbins to use on a shawl. I finished the 5 foot purple tweedy shawl, did two 3 foot tri's, plied the green together then made a 3 foot tri in twill with it and now I have to do the April Square. I was thinking a basket weave (for Easter which came early just to confuse me). Oh and I finished the back or front (they are both the same) of the baby boat neck sweater. I want to do another pair of socks ...but which one? Will have to play on the net and find what I want!

On the family front- got a letter from the FRG and it says Jessica's "Salute and Send-Off " is June 23 from Camp Shelby. Can't wait till she comes home on June 8 -17. She wants to have Thanksgiving and Christmas while she is here so we have much to do.

Tori and JT were talking about the new pope in the car on the way to Honesdale yesterday. The conversation went like this...
.JT "I bet you don't know the new pope's name"
Tori "Yes, I do it is Pope Benedict the 16th"
Curt "Good job Tori"
JT " I bet you don't know what his middle name is"
Tori "Uh huh...It's Benedict Arnold"!!!!!
After we gathered our composure we explained all.

Cliff is still working hard...and still driving my car. I can honestly say my son has driven my car more than I have since I got it. I miss my car. :^( It's a piece of junk (Cliff's description) but I like it.

Well I am off to get the animals into their little homes for the night and the kids showered. And then the socks....

Finally Got In The Greenhouse!!

Finally got in to the greenhouse and started some seeds.
Tomatoes - Hybrid Ruby Nectar (freebie), Amish Paste, Green Zebra, Riesentraube, Blondekopechen, Black Pear, Yellow Pear, Mortgage lifter, Thai pink egg, Juliet, Pineapple

Cabbage - Copenhagen Early Market, Glory of Enkhuizen

Broccoli- Atlantic, Windsor, Early Green

Peppers- Cubanelle, Black Hungarian, Tequila Hybrid (freebie)

Planted the onion sets and feel extremely tired and totally relieved to have this done. Now I can sit back a little. Tomorrow I want to plant the lettuce and Osaka Mustard in some beds and cover them with mini greenhouses.

But for now I need to go take a shower and sit my hands in a tub of lotion as I didn't wear gloves and have paid the price. No fiber work tonight.

TGIF

Took JT to the ear nose and throat doctor on Wednesday and he doesn't need his tonsils and adnoids taken out but does need tubes put in his ears. They have planned this for May 10th. JT is scared and I quote "don't know why we have to hear anyhow".

Got to clean out the green house garden last Friday and Mom and I worked on the main garden this week but still lots to do before Curt can rototill. The fact we had 4 inches of rain held us off a little too.

On the farm front. Jingles is doing fine in his new home. Houdini hasn't gotten out (knock on wood) the ducks are sitting on eggs and the rooster is going to meet the stock pot real soon because he is starting to attack his owners. (Dumb rooster) We got 240 brown eggs, 39 white eggs and 105 duck eggs in March. The duck egg number is really higher than stated as I didn't count what she has in the nest.
Now we have to clean pig pen and pour cement floor, roto all the gardens, haul manure to main garden, start plants in greenhouse, redo fence line in barb wire instead of electric....I need more Curts!!!!

In the fiber area....I am blahing. I have a purple (Jess's purple) on the loom, spun up the green, and knit a hat which ended up smaller than I wanted but thats about it. But I am sure a trip to Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival will cure me of the fiber blahs....(tax return is due 3 days before we go!!! I love the IRS sometimes they are soooo timely)...only 29 more days to see all that fiber, wool in every imaginable color and texture, silk, alpaca,llama, yak, camel, buffalo, dyes galore, patterns and new tools and gadgets (I am hyperventilating, remind self to bring smelling salts in case of fiber overload). Only one downer Mom was going to go but now says she can't because of the dog. I say put Chips in a kennel but that costs money and mom wont pay it. And no that dog is not going on a 6 hour ride in a car with me- she whines the whole time, drives you insane.

Jessica is doing well. Tornado was 15 miles away the other day. She leaves for California on May 9. So from today there in only....61 days till she comes home! She called this a.m. - said she doesn't call anyone else but Ali and I cause talking to us makes her sad enough. Also she can "bitch at you guys" and what deprive everyone else? Please share that part my daughter!!

Well I need more coffee and it won't come to me so I am off to get some and then go outside and do something constructive. Hope everyone has a great weekend.

Hopefully winters last hurrah

Yesterday when I returned from spinning it just started to snow...white out like snow. I turned on the Weather Channel and the expert said we were in the pink- meaning 12 + inches. I guess I should be thankful we only got the 6.5.

I did see robins..I have pictures to prove it! I saw snowdrops (the flowers) and the bleeding heart and angelica coming up...On Tuesday I bought a rake to clean up the garden that didn't get worked on last fall and on Wednesday we got 6.5. It seems everytime I spend money on seed, chickens, rakes etc we get shitty weather.......sooooooo I guees that means I should just spend $$ on fiber!!! There is a happy side to everything!!!!

44 days until the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival!!! Did you notice that 44 and $$ are on the same key? Is that a coincidence?!?! dodododo!!

Can you read that?.... 6.5 inches 

Is it spring? 

SPRING HAS SPRUNG!!

Spring is officially here! And to top it off I got to see my first robin. I had heard they were here but I don't count it until I see them and I did, I did!!! There was a time earlier in the day when the albino raindrops made me doubt that spring was here but they quickly went away when the temperature rose.

Typical week, boy scouts (missed it as I was chasing a cow), work, no 4H (leader leaving for NC) girl scouts (we got to bring the snack this week Yahoo!! THAT was NOT sarcasm...okay yes it was) work, and then Friday was a sad day as we gave Jingles a new home. His new owners have a horse so he will have a friend. On the way to Bingo (Curt won $150!!) we saw them both out in the field so all is going well between them and hopefully he will be happy there. Tori can go visit anytime and she gets to see him going to and from school. Oh also signed both kids up for spring soccer. I was going to wait till the fall but....I guess I figured we just did not have enough to do..so we will have practice two nights a week and a game every Friday starting April 22 and ending (supposedly) the first week of June.

Cliff painted the boys room today and when he was done promptly took off for the mall and left all the putting things away and clean up for Curt and I...We do have to love them don't we?!?!?? But in all fairness the whole time he was painting I was spinning and winding skeins off the bobbins and setting the twist. I have four skeins hanging to dry and I have decided to take the purple and make Jess a shawl as soon as it is dry. I figure when she wraps it around herself it will be like a hug from home. By the way she is coming home June 8th and then leaves June 17th. This will be the last time we get to see her before she leaves for Iraq. I am not going to handle it very well as I start crying just thinking of it. So for now I am going to pull the same stunt I did when I was a kid and play the roll of Scarlet O'Hara....I'll think about it tomorrow!!!

Harbinger of Spring

My Spring countdown clock says there is 6 days and 22 hours to wait. However last night I went to my brothers house to babysit my nephews and got a true sign of spring....eau de skunk! Although on normal days (?what's that?) I hate the smell of skunk -last night I loved it! It motivated me to order my baby chicks, which I did this morning. I ordered 15 Light Brahama's...http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/product/light_brahmas.html and 10 Silver spangled Hamburgs... http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/product/silver_spangled_hamburgs.html and 5 Blue Andalusians... http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/product/blue_andalusians.html and I get a free "exotic"! So on June 13 there will be 31 little peepers!!!!

And I am even going to dig my way to the greenhouse and start cleaning it up from last year! Then over a hot cup of coffee I will plan out the three gardens. Yes I guess I have been biten!

On the fiber front I knit the umbilical cord hat, actually two of them...In a demented moment it even makes you want a baby to put it on....when reality came back I shuddered and decided I will pack it away for future grandchildren...God I am getting old...I said grandchildren.....

Ugly Shawl 

Purple yarn for something for Jess 

Tori's socks 

And so we continue...

I got a new book from my sis...Stitch and Bitch! There is an umbilical cord hat that I want to do today if I get motivated. Then there is Pippi Kneestockings. I also bought myself a used copy of Weekend Knitting. I would love to do the Cozy airchair socks, petticoat socks, and the baby's pure & simple cardigan. Nothing like setting yourself up for a fall heh?
But I have been accomplishing something. I finished Tori's socks. I love her but she has Frodo feet (think Lord of the Rings). I also spun up some Rit dyed purple wool to make something for Jess (don't know what just something) and I did the ugly shawl. It is all the little pieces leftover from other projects. It is a merino, alpaca, wool, beet dyed, black walnut dyed, annato dyed, double ply, navajo ply mass which still needs to be fringed and blocked.
When I started reading Stitch & BitchI found there is a saying on page 9 that says "you ain't shit if you don't knit" well I turned the page and started laughing my ass off when I saw it because Jess & Cliff keep making up these stupid sayings about my knitting, crocheting and spinning such as "you're a winner if you're a spinner" or "It will ruin your day if you don't crochet" and they had said that same saying "you aint shit if you don't knit" I wonder should I worry that the author is like my kids or hope my kids turn out like the author?

On the old homefront....JT may not need to go under the knife. They (the ear/nose/throat docs ) think that the reason his eardrum doesn't move is because of an infection behind it. So they put him on some hightest antibiotics for two weeks and then we go back in April for a re-evaluation. JT needlesss to say is estatic and is willingly taking the meds! On the way home on Long Ridge I saw they were taking out the stone walls by the hunting lodge. It's sad they are taking away all that history for the almighty dollar. I know we have other stonewalls and canals but we are going to keep saying that until they are all gone and then we will go "oops". Ruined my ride home...Actually other than the docs news the whole trip sucked because on the way to the docs I encountered a frequent thing on our roads at this time of year....the eagle watchers. I am going around a blind turn on snow covered roads with guardrails on bothsides to stop you from going in the canal or the river with a car following...1/2 way into the turn BAM! there is an asshole stopped dead in the road. I am able to get the vehicle stopped and not hit or get hit. The asshole (sorry that is as polite as I can get) proceeds to roll down his window and signal me to go around him. Yes please sir let me go around you on a blind turn on snowy roads and endanger my life and my sons so you can see a f*** ing bird. I sat there, he finally got the hint and drove up the road and pulled into a driveway. Yes the birds are beautiful and we are lucky to have them but pull off in the pull off zones or take the tourbus. And happy happy joy joy trout season is getting ready to start. You know that time of year when if you live or own any property near water the tourist’s get to walk all over it and when you ask them to leave they get pissed off because you are ruining their day! Oh poor Mr. & Mrs. Tourist, I am sooooo sorry my living here inconveniences you in any way shape or form…NOT! And they call us yokels! My favorite cartoon is the one that says …”If it’s tourist season, why can't we shoot them?"!!!

Teeheehee I just realized this blog post turned into a real stitch and bitch!!!!!!!!!!!

Well anyhow here is something to leave you with....from my demented dreams.....Jess is getting married or just got married and we are in the milkhouse up at the barn. She says she is going back to the wedding and leaves to go to Bill's cabin (site of the wedding). She never gets there, all we find is her vail with pink insulation stuck to it. For eight days it snows. When it stops, Mom and I decide to walk the path in knee deep snow and look for her. For some reason Curt and Ali weren't ready to go and stayed at the milkhouse. We are walking sideways up the hill in knee deep snow and calling her name. We hear something from behind this outcropping. We start walking over to it and the snow starts to melt and we see pink fiberglass insulation. When we go around the corner there is Jess, not in her wedding dress but in a T-shirt and jeans laying on her side in a semi-fetal postion ( I have a pic of her laying in this exact position) She starts to sit up, gets to her knees and her head falls forward and then falls back and I grab her and we start to carry her out of the woods screaming to get an ambulance. The snow continues to melt to the point that there is only snow in the shadowy spots. As I am carrying her out of the woods and into the field she says that the way I am doing it is causing her underwear to chaff her butt ( don't laugh). Then flash we are all sitting in my livingroom and the door opens and in walks all the older kids (Jess & Cliff's age) in the neighborhood to hang out. Then I woke up.....Now you analyze that mess and I am going off to knit! Have a good one.

Made it thru February

Very stressful week. School delays, Jess/boyfriend problems that blew out of proportion but are finally settled and JT was home sick on Friday. Then Tori was sick on Sunday night. Then both were home on Monday and no school today! To make a long story short no fiber stuff got done other than some spinning and a weave on the 30 inch square. Seeds orders are coming in though and the ache to get into the dirt is starting. I keep looking at the snow and saying "no go back and do some fiber stuff- ignore the garden" but that hasn't worked. But I guess I will be inside longer than I want as we got 8 inches and they are calling for another nor'easter in the next 5-7 days.

Spoke to Jess and she told me she is going to be leaving for California on May 9th. After about 20 days in California she will be allowed home for two weeks. I can't wait to see her.

Tori had an overnighter at the mall on Friday with her girl scout troop. They stayed up alllllll night. It is times like this that I am glad I no longer do girl scouts. I wouldn't last!!! Cookie sales are over and she sold 138 boxes of cookies. (Here I have to send out a hearty Thank You to Mark D. for his excellent help with this, she couldn't have done it without his help).

JT went to the Doctor on Monday for his hearing test and he failed again, but did do better than last time. We definitely need to make an appt with ear/nose/throat to see what to do- they are talking removing the adnoids, possible removal of tonsils, and putting tubes in.

On the farming front the chickens laid a total of 213 eggs this month and the ducks added in another 41!!! The ducks started laying again the second week of the month and haven't stopped.

Finished the knit square for the month but you can't see the hearts that I added in so Mary B said to embroidery around the hearts to hi-lite. I will have to try that and then get a pic up. Maybe this weekend while the kids are gone and Curt is salmon fishing. (I will miss them but I am soooo looking forward to Friday night when they all leave!)

Winter weather has returned in colder temps and mini blizzards....1 inch in 15 mins and then done and over with, just enough to slick up the roads. But the ducks have decided it is spring as another one has started to layand then another. I got three duck eggs this AM!!

Working on another pair of socks - same pattern bigger needle- I hope to have them done today. But I also am working on a poncho. I saw it on a free sheet at Michaels and said I was going to learn to knit so I could make it. There is a picture of it and pattern at http://www.lionbrand.com/patterns/kwetq-fishermanPoncho.html I am on row 5 - not far but it is a start. I haven't been spinning though. I want to finish the socks and spin up another bobbin and ply it then dye it and start on another pair of socks. They really are addictive as they work up sooo fast. And Lord knows in crafts I want near instant gratification.

Did the seed orders. Did the taxes for me and the two kids just have to write it all out neat and send them in. Made homemade pretzels (the nice big ones) the kids must have liked them as they didn't save any for Curt so I am making another batch now. Started the starter for the friendship bread the kids like. Destashed the fleece/yarn some by giving it away. Three fleece went to Mary, leftover yarn went to MaryAnn. Started cleaning up the green house in prep. for the new growing season. Did all that housewifey stuff like cleaning and laundry and cooking and also worked, did Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, and 4-H! I have kicked butt this week!! I have to go sit down and remember what I ate that might have brought on all this energy to start scratching things off my to do list!

I finally did it!!!

Mom, Curt and I went to shopping on Saturday. I bought Magic Stripes and some double point needles and started a pair of socks on the ride home. I am using a size 2 dpn.....After getting 1/2 done on the first sock I have come to the conclusion....I must have been nuts! So I went looking on the internet for a sock pattern that uses a larger needle. I found a Yahoo group http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FirstTimeSocknittersKAL/ that just started a knitalong sock group for people who have no clue what they are doing but want to knit socks....THAT IS SO ME so I joined it and started another sock with bigger needles. It went sooooo much faster. As you can see below I have finished a pair. They are mine, mine, mine. They have some mistakes but they are mine, mine, mine. I have to spin some of my own yarn now and make a pair out of that.

People are reporting robin sitings...and Mom's daffodils are up about 1 1/2 inches...Spring???? I don't want to get my hopes up. And then there is also the fact that I still have not ordered any seed. Procrastion is my middle name.

Tuesday I took JT to the Doctor and he had strep! He was out of school until the 10th. They checked his ears and did a hearing test. He failed. They said an ear drum should look like a bowl w/ saran wrap stretched across it and JT's looks wrinkled. They said there was very little movement of the eardrum. Where he should be hearing at 25 decibals he hears nothing until 40. He gets re-checked in 3 weeks and if it is not just because of the cold and strep then we are off to the ear/nose/throat specialist!! He has had soooo many ear infections and punctured/ruptured ear drums that it did cause speech probs and he took speech in school for three years to correct it. He has only been getting 1 -2 ear infections a year now for the past 3 years where are before it was 4-5/year.

Thursday took Tori to the Doctors and she has strep. We had to cancel a Girl Scout overnight trip as she was still contagious. So far everyone else is fine and we hope to keep it like that.

I did it!!!!!! 

Groundhog Day

From the photo below you can see I finished my first square and it looks like a square. I did it with some homespun light coopworth that Cyndi had given me early last year. I hadn't plied it very well! I finished this at 10:54 pm on January 31. It had to be done in January and Mary had already finished hers. Thats why I wanted someone to do this with me...MOTIVATION!

JT loved his b-day presents. He was suppose to go to Boy Scouts but wiggled that bottom lip to stay home and play with them....You did read "was suppose to" didn't you...Yes he got his way. He is only 9 that bottom lip thing still works.

Living in PA we all know of Punxsutawney Phil. Punxsutawney held its first Groundhog Day in the 1800s. The first official trek to Gobbler's Knob was made on February 2, 1887. According to legend, if Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter weather. If he does not see his shadow, there will be an early spring.
This all stems from Candlemas Day and was brought over to this country by the Germans. You can read more at... http://www.sacredspiral.com/Database/rome/rome06.html . Their version goes like this...If Candlemas Day be fair and bright,Winter will have another flight. But if it be dark with clouds and rain, Winter is gone, and will not come again. According to the Phil's website (http://www.groundhog.org/) he has seen his shadow 94 times, no shadow 14 times and no record 9 times. And he saw it again today...Trust me it was not sunny at 7:30am...Those news crews with all their lights and cameras were what was causing him to see his shadow. But being optimistic I have decided to have this page as my desktop.... http://holidays.bfn.org/spring/. It is a countdown to spring. I can almost hear the robins and feel the heat of the sun!!!

We kept track of how many eggs the chickens laid for the month of January...it came in at a whooping 208!! Not bad for 7 new and 5 old hens and the temps we had. I am proud of those little babies. I have already decided on this years picks, just have to decide when I want them delivered. Almost didn't get the butcher this year so I need to time things better.

Got a call from brother Kenny last night. He wants to move back home so bad. Said he would help with the farm! God, I love my brother, just wish it were possible for him to move. But since he can't at the time I might be raising a pig for him this year.

Spinning today- first time since before Christmas because of all the bad weather. Can't wait to see what everyone has been working on!!! I finished a hat this morning...directions must have been made for a child although it didn't say so. It fits like a skull cap on me! But soooo soft as it was done with one strand of wool and one of mohair. Guess Tori gets that one!

Well I am off to try something on circular needles- a new frontier to conquer!

1st square- Chevron 

Made a list of seeds I would like last Wednesday. Needs a LOT of paring down or I need a bigger garden! Kids had a two hour delay on Thursday. Watched the inaguguration. Picked up Girl Scout cookies.

Temps have been very cold. Chickens won't even come out of the coop. Every morning they get warm milk with bread, berries and leftovers. They see their treat pan coming and all fly down from the roost.

Snow was three hours late in arriving on Saturday, which started out at -10! You would think things could only look up after that start but alas the blizzard that was due dropped 12 1/2 - 13 inches of snow. Dug out on Sunday. Thankfully we have all been healthy other than the longest 24 hour stomach flu.

Washed and carded the southdown. Washed and carded the gray romney I got off of ebay. Started carding Targhee which I got off ebay - it is so unbelievably white. Finished knitting a hat which JT quickly claimed. Finished knitting a scarf but ended up sewing the ends together to make more of a tube. Curt claimed that and Tori asked for one in blue. Started one for her and hope to finish tonight. I am going to spin the wool then knit one square for every month Jess is gone. Figure this will help me learn and keep me occupied. Did two squares of Sunday but didn't like either of them and they shrunk when I washed and blocked them and ended up like rectangles. Will have to compensate for that. Sent some yarn, knit and crochet needles with instructions for both down to Jess. Think she will get the hint!

Snowed again on Tuesday night and the kids stayed home on Wednesday. Tori and I cooked up horse treats for the horse and the cow. Houdini drools the whole time he is eating them!

Took Mom shopping for formica for her kitchen and picked up JT's birthday presents. He will be 9 on Monday! Growing up soooo fast.

Due to get another 2 inches of snow tonight and tomorrow. Sounds like time to burrow in and watch a movie with the kids. Snow Dogs is on tongiht so gotta go watch it. It is suppose to warm up this week....we will wait and see......

Another thing to do

Cyndi said I should start this bog to keep track of what I am doing. I am wondering if she was implying because I turned 40 I would start forgetting. Jokes on her my memory was shot years ago!!! So anyhow, I didn't want to do this but had to start an account to join a knitalong. I am teaching myself to knit. Last year I learned how to spin and triloom so this was the next step. My sister is pry laughing as the joke is I am Mother Earth. Her and my mother think it is funny that all the things that we did or that mom tried to teach us and we didn't want to learn are all the things that I am trying to do now. Hated the farm as a kid as it cut into personal time but in 2004 I bought two pigs which are now in the freezer, 25 chickens- 10 of which are in the freezer, 2 turkeys- one of which is in the freezer the other was Thanksgiving dinner, ducks still quacking and a black angus which will be in the freezer this fall. Stopped by mom's to tell her my 12 chickens laid 10 eggs in one day and she just looked at me like I was nuts. I was excited- that is my best day so far. So I am the butt of their joke but I am having fun so all I can say is ...live and learn.