What I think about at 3 a.m.

"What if this winter doesn't end until June, and all four ewes have lambs in the sleet and I only have one - okay two - hoop houses to shelter them and the llama hogs one?"

A.  Flora and her twins can have the office (there's a foldout bed).  Cocoa and her twins can have the cats' room (it has the best light and carpeted furniture).  Juno and her lambs can have the guest room (best feng shui in the house).  Freyda and her lambs can have the laundry room (it's small, but I can knock out the wall adjoining the guest bath so they can have a shower).

B.  I'll buy an RV and they can live in it until summer.

C.  I can reconfigure the hayport, fence off the hay bales, rig a half-door for light, plug in a heat lamp.

I like "C", but I would still have to dig out the gates and a pathway to the hayport, convince the ewes it's in their own best interest and they should quietly follow me in an orderly line when lambing time is near.

Maybe I'll check craigslist for an RV.  Do you think they'd take eggs in trade?

Bending

Sunday was a full day of rain.  It literally rained all day and most of the night.  This was followed by sleet, ice and snow.  Just a little farewell gesture by winter.  Let's hope it's a farewell gesture.  I have a very tall birch tree in the back near the sheep.  The ice brought it almost literally to its knees, if it had had any.  If you can see past the blue feeders on the fence, you will see the top of the tree on the ground.  It was amazing.  I am so glad this tree can bend without breaking - but I am hoping that the two days of a little warmer weather will melt all the ice and allow the tree to reach its graceful height again before the snow that's predicted for later in the week.  

If you biggify, you can see the top of the tree just past the blue feeders.

The sheep are pretty much oblivious, as long as there is hay available.  While putting out their mineral block this weekend, I was able to observe that two of the ewes are way ahead of where I thought they would be on the lambing front.  From the looks of it, Cocoa(nut) and Freyda will be lambing this month.  Eek.  I need to clean out the hoop house and de-llamafy it, but they spent all day Sunday and most of Monday all crammed in there.  Let's hope I have a chance this weekend.  Two years ago, when Flora and Cocoa(nut) lambed, they picked the coldest, rawest day of the month.  I am relieved that all four of them won't be lambing, one after the other.  I wonder if I can get maternity leave?

Family Treasures.

My Mother's Wedgewood Pattern.

     Growing up, one of the main reasons we looked forward to holiday meals was because it meant that the 'good china' would be used.  Food always tasted better when served on these beautiful dishes.  My mother picked out this pattern, along with her sterling silver flatware pattern and crystal glassware, as was the custom of brides in the 40s.  My parents painstakingly added bits and pieces as they had the extra money, and today there is a service for 8, along with some lovely serving pieces.  As time went on, the dishes were used less and less - they had to be washed by hand, no dishwasher please!  There were grandchildren, grandpets and all other potential causes for mishaps.  I am now the very, very lucky recipient of this set of china.  I don't have the grandchildren, but I do have the granddogs/cats, so every piece is safely ensconced in my hutch.  I like to use them whenever I can - although I don't use them for just me.  I recently served a very simple supper of soup, salad and crusty bread for my friend, Sylvie, and me.  I served it on the Wedgewood.  It was fabulous.  I wonder - do women have good china now?  Do they just use it for the odd family holiday?  My everyday dishes are a varied mish-mash of Bennington Potter seconds (read: wavy), and some pieces of lovely French china I picked up at a Goodwill for $2.  What do you serve your special meals on?

Look at me -- I'm a Bumble Bee!!

Meyers Lemon Tree

A little over a year ago, I splurged and bought a two-year old Meyers Lemon tree.  I love Meyers lemons and figured I could grow my own - one more step on my road to self-sufficiency.  These trees grow well in containers and I happened to have a nice, large pot that will be sufficient for the next five years.  I baby this tree like you wouldn't believe.  It enjoys a sunny vista near the sliding glass doors.  I hang a grow light over it from November through May.  It is misted every other day.  It is fertilized every month with special organic food made especially for citrus trees.  I water it diligently.  Last year it provided me with 7 large lemons!  This year, it has burst into bloom and I very carefully put on my bumble bee wings and, with a fine-haired paintbrush in hand, I flit from blossom to blossom and spread the pollen.  I am hoping for an even bigger crop this year! 

A Question for You Canners.

In my efforts to eat out of my pantry/freezer, I delved into a jar of hamburger dill pickles that I made this past summer.  The smells of dill and garlic were wonderful, they looked perfect, they were....completely soggy.  I have made other types of pickles and they survived the canning process just fine.  What do you think happened with these?  Were they cut too thin?  Processed too long?  They taste just fine, but there is nothing more depressing than a soggy slice of pickle.  How fortuitous that I found this recipe in my email box:  Polish Dill Pickle Soup!  Hmmm.  I have about 12 pints of hamburger dill pickles.  How many bowls of Polish Dill Pickle Soup can I eat?

More on thrumming.



The basic 'ingredients'.




Fleece-filled!

The photographs aren't the greatest, but I hope you can get the general idea.  Melanie should be the one showing how this is done, because I saw her thrummed mitten and it was awesome!  Can we all ask Melanie to oblige?  Melanie?  Are you reading this?  Please don't let the rest of the world think that this is the only way to thrum a mitten....

I found a tutorial that will give you a better (read: neater) view of thrumming mittens.  I did not use roving, as I had all those nice, lanolin-y bits from Flora to use.  With lots of fiber (vegetable matter) thrown in for free!  I tend to perversely NOT like symmetry.  I think this is a hold-out from the very contrary kid that I have always been.  In any event, this mitten will not only be w.a.r.m, but it will add lanolin to my dry skin.  Who could ask for more?

I've been thrumming.

Don't you love that word?  It sounds like something you would do, standing out on your deck in the sunlight.  I had never heard of it before Melanie introduced me to thrummed mittens.  The answer to my cold-hand prayers.  So, armed with a nice wool worsted yarn from Webs, and a bag full of Flora's lanolin-laden fleece trimmings, I have been knitting away in the wee morning hours.  I have one done except for the thumb, and will start on the second one tomorrow morning.  I'll post pictures of my progress.  I am hoping that, like washing your car, knitting thrummed mittens will ensure that the temperature will rise and the snow will melt!  Dream on!