The end of a year

This year has been full of changes for me - for the most part good ones. The ones that weren't have been "character building."

With lambs hitting the ground here (7 at current count, and a couple of "impending" ewes), it's a sign that the new year is coming in. I used to use lambing as an excuse for not traveling in December (until my very bright mother realized that I could change that...). I've missed lambing. Even though these are mostly not my sheep, I still really love it when the lambs arrive - hearing the ewe talk to her lambs as she's giving birth, the first sprawling steps, the little lamb voices, and then the transition from simply following mom, to jumping up and down in place, to, finally, lamb races.

Nothing says Happy New Year to me than lambs!!

Hear's hoping that your new year brings light, warmth and prosperity!

Happy Christmas!

Today is the day that we should sit and reflect on all of the blessings we've received in the last year. If you can, enjoy your family! Or friends, if that's who's around!

Most of all, be kind to yourself...

Back from the Holidays... (long, lots of pictures)

I made a whirlwind trip down to San Diego for Thanksgiving, with a stop in Reno to hook up with my sister, with whom I carpooled down.

I don't have any pictures of my car - suffice it to say that it was stuffed full... I had made a dairy run to Hood River and Portland (my first experience with snow in the new car see this post - passed with flying colors), and got to stay with LindaLou on Monday night. After talking about weaving, what we wanted to be when we grew up, and having a wonderful dinner (it's always good food at Linda's!), I headed out Tuesday morning into a vicious headwind and torrential rains. Because of the rain, I had to run the defrost a lot - this is a point to remember for later...

The wind was so stiff that I couldn't coast down the hills as I approached the Siskiyous - I was slowing down!  So I pulled off at a rest stop in Canyonville, which boasts a casino on the east side of the freeway, and a travel center on the west, and found that my car was making very bad noises. Like from the middle of the engine, bad pulley noises.  I called my son (left a message), then called my nephew, who was in class, but called me back. The upshot is that I burned out the clutch on the AC compressor running the defrost (the compressor runs when you use defrost to dry out the air). Fortunately, it is run by a separate belt than the rest of the pulleys (water pump, alternator, main pulley), and I was advised to cut it off - which I did. I'm now the proud owner of a small, serrated paring knife, purchased at the travel center to do the job. After removing the belt, I started the engine - YAY, no noise. Did I mention that I wasn't even out of Oregon yet, not even halfway to Reno? I was happy to be back on the road.

Got to my sister's, and we took off Tuesday morning for San Diego. We had a wicked headwind all the way south to San Diego (El Cajon, which is east of SD), but made good time.

I should explain that in years past, we have met at my sister's for Thanksgiving, because it is mid-way between my dad and me. This year, my dad was getting committed - it's not what you think, really!

He has found a life partner, Wilma. They are so happy - it's like they are both teenagers again. Since my dad is 87, and I won't print Wilma's age... It really does both family's hearts good to see them.

In this post, I talked about the turkeys that I had gotten, one of which would be the guest of honor at dinner. I took the smallest one, at 24.6 lbs., and because Wilma and her family were bringing pies, and Mary (my sis) had made cranberry sauce ahead of time, we "only" had to make the turkey, potatoes (blue from Mary's garden), gravy and stuffing.

I don't think I've ever had a turkey get done early... This one, this LARGE turkey, cooked unstuffed, was done a hour early... Ok, so we had time to remake some rolls to replace the ones that had gotten a little over done, and to finish up all the rest of the stuff, but geez - who ever has a turkey get done early! You're always waiting for them at the end!  I used a recipe that had fresh rosemary (from Dad's front yard), basil, olive oil and garlic that was blended like pesto, and then rubbed under the skin. The remainder was rubbed in the cavity.  I think this was possibly the best turkey I've ever made/had.

Just before eating, Dad and Wilma did their ceremony. I think most of us were pretty teary-eyed. It was very moving.

And the next day, we did it again at Wilma's with all of her extended family in attendance. My niece, Harmony took pictures at Dad's, but used my camera at Wilma's -

Mary and I singing (in harmony, with feelin')

They wrote their own words

The KISS!!

After Cutting the Cake!



While at Dad's, Mary and Rich (BIL) went to the beach, and I played in Dad's shop, making warp holders like Sharon's. I found a piece of cherry, and we interpolated dimensions from the picture that Sharon had sent me. I'm increasingly distracted when warping, and needed a way to hold the cross while I went off on a tangent...

The best part? I got to play with power tools, ahr, ahr, ahr...

On the way home, I had a quick visit with Amy (saw Sadie - what a hoot), and stayed at Sharon's on Sunday night, very quick visits, but so very fun. We figured out that Halcyon Yarn carries UKI cotton, and since Sharon had UKI's color card, I made a spreadsheet listing each with the respective colors so we can order what we want in the future. Contrary to what Sharon says, I am not always right...

I stopped at Mim's on Monday morning, saw her sheep, and talked fiber. When I left it was with a slight tail wind, and nobody on the road for most of the trip home. I got 29.6 mpg, even exceeding the speed limit by a fair bit (LindaLou would be proud)...

I was just south of La Pine when I snapped this sunset:

The colors were much more intense than it shows - way more pink and purple... But it was beautiful. You'll note that I was pulled over to the side of the road at the time...

Now that I'm back, I'm farmsitting for a friend until December 20. She has a smattering of sheep, goats, alpacas, one llama and 11 chickens. Oh, and 2 cats who are not happy about my dogs being here!

This gig comes complete with breathtaking scenery:

(the place is literally just inside Smith Rock State Park), but also with a complete dye studio! I plan to wash a couple of fleeces, but also brought along the little loom to do some weaving.

I feel kind of disconnected - but at least it's pretty!!

Sometimes, when you have a deadline...

You're presented with learning opportunities...

See FiberVoodoo blog here for all the details!!

Turkey Run

I was very fortunate, when I called a couple of weeks ago, to obtain a butcher date for the turkeys yesterday. This time of year, it is packed, and I usually make the appointment for next year when I take them in to be butchered (as I did this year). 

Correy came along as navigator, and we combined a couple of other things into the trip. With snow predicted for Friday night, we moved up our departure from home to Thursday, after yoga. One of the added in stops was to take fleeces to Creekside Fiber Mill in Lebanon, Oregon. They do a great job, and I needed to find some off-site storage for some of my fleece. Because we were going there first, the turkeys went in the truck with a barrier between them and the fleece, cooler, etc.

Once all the fleece was in, you couldn’t even tell they were in there!

I treat the animals that I’m going to harvest for meat with a great deal of respect, especially on their last day. There is another processor closer to home (by about an hour), but they a) never called me back, and b) want all of the day’s birds there at 7 am. Those that aren’t processed until late afternoon are pretty darn stressed by the time their turn comes.  For that reason, it’s worth it to me to take my birds to the farther of the two. I have a specific appointment time, and usually there’s not much of a wait until the birds are taken in, one or two at a time. I hand them out to the folks who take them in to start the butchering process. The birds know me, they have had a curious ride in this mobile coop with all their buddies, and then they leave, handed out by me. There’s not much stress involved, on their part.

This weeks’ turkey run actually worked out well having them in the truck overnight. I always give them only water the night before, because their system has more or less emptied out by the time they’re butchered, which the processor appreciates. Since I had them on grass for the last week, and had no place to coop them up, taking the trip early helped make the usual possible.

So (drum roll please), weights were as follows: White tom – 39.94 lbs.; White hen – 30.36 lbs.; Bronze tom – 34.34 lbs.; Bronze hen – 24.57 lbs. These are all broad breasted birds, and ideally should have been butchered about 2 ½ months ago, but I didn’t own them then!

I have taken the toms to be smoked and then quartered, the hens are in the freezer.  I’ll take the smaller one down to San Diego for Thanksgiving, and the other will be used later, I’m sure.

One of the other things we did was to stay at Michelle's, so that I could give her a spinning lesson in long draw. She had been given some "mystery" bats by a blog pal, who suggested that she spin them that way. She was an avid pupil; between Correy and I, we had her on her way.  She was so excited, that she spun up and plied both bats that evening! I made some Zucchini Spice Cake muffins, which were a hit with the McMillins!

Meanwhile, the promised snow started today, and is now (in late afternoon) moving our way. We moved some round bales of hay (with the truck – they weigh 600 lbs) to a more usable location (and away from the prehensile lips of the ponies…).

By the time we’d completed that, the wind had come up and it was just time to head into the house to warm up.  This is what’s heading our way:

I got old hay bales around the base of the trailer to help block most of the wind from going under. This should help some to keep it warmer. Last week, I busted the dinette seat out, and set up a small computer desk as a workspace and wire cubes for my clothes. This dramatically opens up the space in my little box, and will also give me room to have my radiant oil heater instead of the loud, only partially effective, ceramic heater.

I knit an ear warmer headband, but it’s being blocked and not completely done – check my fiber blog for details in a day or so.

So, winter is on its way – we have wood, hay and lots of food put in.  Bring it on!!

Turkeys in the backyard!

(to the tune of "Smokin' in the Boys Room)...

After the Farm Day yesterday (story of the weaving here), I picked up 4 turkeys on the way home. They were, of course, on CL, for $25/each. Since poults cost about $5/each, and then being fed for 6 months, this was a screamin' deal. Now, I know it's common to find turkeys in the store very soon for 49 cents/lb., but there is nothing that compares with home grown turkeys. Because of my move, I didn't raise turkeys this year, and it would mean that we didn't have a home-grown turkey for Thanksgiving.

These guys (and girls) are 6+ months old, and about 2 months past optimal butcher time - only because they're huge, not that they won't be tender. The one hen that I loaded up probably weighed 30 lbs. and the toms were much bigger (yield after butchering is roughly 65% of live weight). The folks I got them from were commenting that they were surprised that they ended up with a tom and hen of each breed (broadbreasted white and broadbreasted bronze). I explained that these turkeys cannot breed naturally because of their large pectoral muscles (the breast meat). While the toms certainly want to try, they can't assume the correct "position."

To give a little scale, they are in a "coop" of 34" hog panels. The toms' heads are just under the top... The peacock, who was kept with my former turkey flock, thinks he's a turkey. He seems happy to have a flock again, however temporary!

I'll keep them on grass for about a week (maybe two), then I'll harvest them and have 2 smoked, take one to San Diego for Thanksgiving and stow the other one in the freezer.

And I apologize if you have that song running through your head for the rest of the day...

Stocking up, and production begins

We've been spending the last week stocking up: Hay and wood.
Since I had offered to help pay for hay in exchange for staying at Correy's, once the house closed, we started looking. Being the Craigslist addict queen that I am, I started searching. Correy called me with the number of one - by the time I called, they had sold 5 of their 8 tons - we took the rest. Then I found another and called - the farmer was eating dinner, according to his wife - I told her to have him call me, and I wanted 10 tons. She said, "Oh!"

When we were unloading the last 5 tons of the 10 tons, we had help:

Cedric Snoopervising

We had help from a couple of local farm boys to unload and stack the hay - we loaded the trailer. This was complicated for me by the fact that I had fallen off Annie and hurt my back. A back brace helped a lot, as did going to yoga twice a week. It's better, but I kinked it good, and it's taking it's own sweet time getting over its bad self...

Correy's aunt is District Biologist for the Ochoco Nat'l. Forest, so she knows where all the good wood gathering spots are. There was a thinned unit of juniper (the best stuff...) about 40 miles from home. I had to buy 2 new tires for the truck to make the trip, though... We took off in the morning, in a caravan of 4 trucks, with Lyra and Ruby, Correy's kelpie/border collie along for the ride.

Lyra and Ruby

We had help gathering wood, too:

Look Mom - I got some, too!

After working for a good long while, Bob (Correy's Squeeze) manning the chain saw, Correy and me loading the trucks, my truck was full:

It's good to have access from all sides...

There's no more room!

I managed to forget to take a picture of Correy's truck, but it was full, too. We figure we had about 2 cords of well-seasoned juniper to take home. Unfortunately, before we finished, Lyra found a dead dear carcass and liberated a front leg. She chewed it until she was bored with it, and then Ruby took over. Because Ruby had ridden in the back of Correy's truck, I got to take both stinky dead dear leg dog breath dogs back in the cab of my truck.  It was pretty awful, until they both laid down and went to sleep.

As we were driving out, Correy was waving her arm around, but I was too tired to realize she was trying to show me the flock of wild turkeys - she said they were huge! Bigger than most Broad Breasted Bronze mutants you usually see on tables around this time of year!

So, last Saturday, we got 3 tons of hay, Sunday, we got 2 cords of wood, Monday we got 5 tons of hay, Tuesday we went to yoga, Wednesday we got 5 tons of hay, Thursday, Correy went to yoga, today Correy and Bob went and got another 5 tons of (free) hay, while I warped my loom for a Farm Day demo tomorrow.

We decided that we'd either be in really good shape or completely crippled by the end of the week. The jury is still out on me - Correy's tired, but still kickin'! We still have more hay to get, but we're doing that sometime next week.

Next up - the turkeys are coming!!

Of Rides and Riding

So, the last trip with the last "stuff" from the west side of the mountains is done. I'm over the hill (literally and figuratively). The house has closed escrow - YAY. Given that I'm going to be making periodic trips to Eugene for work, and that my truck a) gets great mileage for a truck, but still..., and b) it has 221-ish thousand miles on it, I thought I would look for a car to take those trips in.

Last week, I had to drive over to Portland area to meet with the folks that I'm doing contract work for, and thought while I was there, maybe I'd look. I found a Saab and a Subaru that looked promising. Now, I have always wanted a Saab, as long as I can remember. This one seemed like a good one, and I checked to see that there was a Saab mechanic east of the cascades (in Bend - he also does Subaru's). I called my sister (known as the "rational twin") to see what I should do.  She recommended the Subaru, since Saabs, while fun, are expensive to fix. I talked to my friend, Sandi, and she suggested calling the mechanic - Brilliant! 

So, I did. The guy didn't know me from Adam, but spent about 15 minutes talking to me about the pro's and con's of both cars.  He than asked me what I wanted the car for, and it turned out that he was selling one of his cars (he had 3) in my price range. I didn't look at the cars in Portland. I went back home on Wednesday, after staying with Linda Lou in Portland (see below), and Thursday am went to see the car.

I was in LUUUUV. It's a 98 Subaru Legacy GT, all-wheel drive sedan. While the odometer shows 189+K miles on it, it had a used engine put in at 180K, and a new clutch disk at 177K. The mechanic that owned it has worked on the car for years, and has all of the records. Since it is a 5 speed, it is very sporty, and it handles really well. It's very short, compared to the truck, but it has a lot of room. The back seats fold down giving access to the truck.  So, here it is:

The stereo is also very cool!!

I stayed at LindaLou's in the Multnomah Village area of Portland. We went to an awesome Thai restaurant, but before we ate, we went to the Multnomah Art Center, where the Portland Handweaver's guild was having a show. There were some awesome pieces (see Fiber Voodoo post for more pictures); Linda had 2 pieces (nuno felted) and there were a number of really lovely pieces.

I really like the colors in the second one, and the first one is cool because of the texture the felting made in the silk scarf.  Go Linda!!

The last trip over involved picking up Annie and bringing her home. She's now ridable, and is so different from the little mare that I dropped off in June. Since my trailer lights weren't working, I dropped it off at the Trailer Vet before I headed up to Portland.  When I headed back down to get Annie, I forgot to pick it up - what a moron... It was ok, since it wasn't done, anyway. So, I continued down, and Jordan showed me the "routine", and then rode her a bit.

Then I got to ride her. I was thrilled. I don't mount from the ground anymore (haven't for years), so I got a 5 gal. bucket to step up from (she's only 14 hands). She gave it the hairy eyeball, and then had to turn around to look at it when I stepped up on it (so had to move her back into position). She stands to be mounted, and moves out well to voice commands. She stops without resistance. We only had one "incident" - we were coming around the arena towards the bucket, which we had gone inside of before, and I wanted to go outside of it, but didn't give the message early enough.  She was heading straight for it, and got very worried. Her reaction is to jump forward slightly, and continue more rapidly. This form of "spooking" sat me down into the saddle, where I can't fall.

It took about 3 strides to get her settled, then we continued on, came down to a walk, and then stopped and removed the bucket!!

She's adjusting to life on the east side, where it has been raining so it probably seems like home. One of Correy's pony's thinks she is just beautiful... She shares a fence line with the rams, and that doesn't seem to concern her (I haven't had sheep while I've had her).

She is going to be a very fun pony to work with.  I found a very nice harness, which will the next part of her education.  More on that as it progresses.

I guess I have two new rides!!

It's Done!

Sorry for being incommunicado... Last Monday, after OFFF, I found out that the house was to close Oct. 7 - EEEK!

Correy and I went over to the house on Wednesday, and spent until Saturday mucking it out. We started the trip by stopping by to see Annie, who's training is coming along very nicely, and who will be coming home next week. Since that was later in the afternoon, when we got to the house, we (Correy) made a plan of attack - I can hear Amy snickering...

 My neighbors allowed us to hook into their water via a series of hoses so we could flush toilets and wash hands, etc. Over the next 3 days, with no electricity, we worked from can see to can't see, taking 4 or 5 loads of crap to the dump (I lost count). To put it in perspective, I lived there for 5 years, all but the last one in a lot of pain from very bad knees.  Not much got done... at all. 

After filling the sheep trailer (6 x 10 x 4) with save-able stuff, I arranged to exchange it for Jordan's (Annie's trainer) stock trailer to get the 16' panels home. By the time I got back to Walton with it, it had started raining - a lot. We did the Walton Wet T-shirt contest, loading it up. The house was as clean as we could get it, and my agent had told the buyer's agent since it was considered of no value, we weren't cleaning it thoroughly. We pulled out of Walton at around 5 and reached Prineville at 8:30pm, very tired and somewhat drier than when we started.

Yesterday, a whirlwind run to the valley to:

• get the last load from the house
• drop Kiri and Whoosie off at their new home
• sign papers for the house closing.

The intent was to leave Prineville by 9 am.  I think we got out of the house to take the canopy off my truck, install the stock racks (purpose will be clear later), hitch up the stock trailer to return it, load the ponies at about 9:15. Needless to say, we didn't leave as early as planned.

We got to the valley about 1:15, and delivered Kiri and Whoosie to their new home. I'm glad that I got Kiri from the stockyard where she was bound for slaughter. When it became clear that she was pregnant, I wasn't thrilled, but figured it was a new experience for me, right? Now that Whoosie is 4 months old, Correy started working with both mares (her's is a new mom, too), and Kiri was not at all pleased to be reminded that she needed to be a horse. To be fair, she's probably been shuffled around alot (which I just did, too), so she has probably learned to buffalo people to get her way. To make it clear to her that it's not ok takes physical punishment, and I have a hard time doing that. I've tried being nice, using treats as bribes, but until you physically show her you are the boss, she's not buying it. I don't need to work that hard with a horse.  She's now with a early-20's young woman who, though looking like she's a sweet young thing with firey red hair, takes no shit. They have a 5+ acre pasture that is shared with 7 alpacas, and at least one cow. There is shelter and it will be a very good place. Since the new owner is a friend of Correy's daughter, Brin, I can get updates on her progress.  If nothing else, they will keep them as pasture pets.

We left there and went into Eugene to get lunch (it was 2:30). Since it would not make sense to drive out to Walton just to turn around for my appointment to sign, I called the Escrow officer and made arrangements to go in earlier. After signing (which was kind of fun - she had handled the previous failed escrow), we went out to the house to load up.

There was some wood from 7 trees that the sheep had girdled, already cut and well seasoned, which we took for Correy's wood stove.  This was the purpose of the stock rack - a support for stacking up the wood.  We picked up 4 pallets (one can never have too many on a farm), the two hoses from last weekend, a couple of boards and cut the 20' pvc into roughly 10' lengths. There were also many more canning jars (gold, if you have them) and a bunch of sheep coats.  When we were fully loaded the truck was wallowing. After picking up Brin to give Correy some "daughter time," we picked up the previously filled and parked sheep trailer to bring it home.

After dropping Brin off in Springfield, we headed back up the mountain IN THE RAIN. We went very slowly (max 50 mph) because of the load. It was snowing on the top of Santiam pass, but just barely starting to stick on the side (the road was just wet). Once over the top and out of the clouds, we could see stars - a welcome sight.

We pulled in at 10:30 - exhausted, wobbly and ready for bed. This is what we hauled back over the mountain. 

Note the tires...

Thursday, I just wanted to veg, but I had 2 traffic plans to do by Friday, the truck and trailer to unload, and 2 loads of laundry to do! And Correy and I dragged our sorry sore butts to Yoga. After Yoga, I became a veg. To make up for it, I worked until midnight on traffic control plans (just one more plan...), and then was too tired to sleep.

The buyer of the house was supposed to be signing Thursday, with funding and closing Friday. She didn't. I lost it... She decided she had to know if she still got the forest deferral (on taxes) if she logged off the property.  First, there is not enough lumber on the deferral plot to log right now - the trees are maybe 15 years old. Second, this was not a contingency, so wtf??  She finally signed Friday, after completely pissing off the escrow officer (not a good thing, I can tell you!!). The lender had already funded the loan, so we'll close on Monday,but because the banks are closed for Columbus Day, I won't have the $$ in my pocket until Tuesday. At least there's $$... I'm very grateful for that!

The traffic control plans turned into a bigger job than I had anticipated - one job turned into 8 sheets, good for the pocket book, but really hard on the wrists.  I need to get a more ergonomic set up in the trailer to do these.  I'm meeting with the company owners, etc., on Tuesday - I've been working for them without the "Hi, welcome to the company - here's how we do things", which has been a little frustrating.  I'm looking forward to all of us being on the same page, or at least in the same book!!

There's still organizing to do, and I need to get 5 dowels for my warping reel so I can warp my loom. I hope to get that done this weekend.  It will be good to get back to weaving.

Re-entering an old job

I have a degree in Biology, with a Chemistry minor, and I have monitored the swarming behavior of motor vehicles for the last 6 years for the City of Eugene. Part of my job there was drawing and/or approving temporary traffic control plans for work in the City's right-of-way.

I learned to draw traffic control plans while living in San Diego in the mid-90's. I ended up working all over So. Cal. for about 3 years, until I moved back to Reno in 2000.

In my search for what I want to be when I grow up, and the necessity for continuing income, of which there is currently none (having left my City job when I moved), I called a flagging company that I had worked with and offered my services. They allowed as how they would be "stupid not to take advantage of my experience" (their words). So, I'm again an independent contractor preparing traffic plans for this company.  They will have me working all over, including Vancouver, WA. 

It's actually kind of fun - I get to satisfy my inner geek by playing with the cad program I have, and I know that I'm doing a service by drawing a plan that will keep the workers and the traveling public safe.

I got one plan done today - getting used to the program again slowed me down. I'm also waiting for a call from the utility to clarify the work they're doing. The next few that are in the mail (20 locations in Salem - woot!!) shouldn't take so long.

It will be interesting to get feedback from the company about my work. It's very different from what their in-house people do (using a cad program allows for more accuracy and detail). We'll see!

Anyway, it's good to be working, even though it isn't necessarily steady, it's something!!

Check out the dyeing...

I dyed, and dyed and dyed... and then I went to Shaniko, where I sold only a little...  See more here (Fiber Voodoo)...

Cultivated Silk top - Yum!!

Fanfare, please...

I've started a new blog, strictly for fiberish pursuits.  Please check it out!

http://fibervoodoo.blogspot.com/

Hope you enjoy it!

When everything you touch turns to ...

The sale of my house has fallen through. Evidently the male half of the duo buying it is/was a scammer (or has no cojones), and after promising to have the $$ to close Friday afternoon, took the opportunity to skip out while his girlfriend was at Wal-Mart.  I have told my agent to dump the price $15K, and put it back as active.

Meanwhile, after having a rough Friday and Saturday, I managed to get stuff packed into the truck and travel trailer and moved it over to Prineville. I didn't think to take pictures of backing the trailer into it's space - there was about 6 inches on either side of it (it's 8' wide). It's in, it's level, and just needs me to come back and make it livable with the dogs, bedding, etc. Soon...

The cancellation of the sale means that I either a) need to sell 18 birds very quickly (by Wednesday), or b) have to move them, which complicates things enormously. I'm not sure I can move dog jail (10 x 10 x 6 powder coated, welded steel panels) and pull a trailer at the same time, AND keep the chickens, etc. in the bed of the truck. I'm still pondering. (and avoiding putting them on CL)

There's less stuff on the floor since the dump run was made Saturday morning. It is getting there, but there's still so much stuff - the pantry is full, and there's all the canning jars that aren't going anywhere but storage because I WILL use them (someday...). I took the freezer stuff over except for the tequila (everyone keeps theirs in the freezer, right?) and some fruit. The fridge stuff will go over this week.

Meanwhile, looming on the horizon is Shaniko Wool Gathering, on September 10 & 11. Correy and I have shared a booth there forever, even though I haven't been to the last 3. Normally, it takes me about a month to prepare - dyeing, winding, labeling, etc. - I have about a week. Fortunately, I won't be working full time, so that will help - I won't have anything else to do!

I have some new yarn, Alpaca Lace, that I'm dying to try weaving (or to throw on the knitting machine). It's very fine, very soft, and the natural color is a light golden color (even after washing). It should dye beautifully. At about 4400 yds/lb, there's a lot of yardage there. I have more of the superwash merino/bamboo, which I sold out of at Fiber Market day, some superwash merino in sport and fingering, and some superfine, 80's merino fiber, all to dye before the festival.  I also have some raw silk yarn (I love the smell), that I'm hoping to weave with. I've used it in the past to make scarves, which turn out really beautiful.

In my last post I mentioned being a little scattered. That no longer applies. My brain has left this geographical location and is MIA. I'm hoping that doing some fiber stuff will help ground me a little while I navigate this now more difficult transition.

Like the song says, "you can't always get what you want, but ... you get what you need" - I keep telling myself that. Over and over...

Moving update...

I have gotten down to the stuff all over the floor stage. I'm about to grab the dust pan, shove it all into trash bags and take it to the dump!

Escrow hasn't closed, but the buyers have signed the papers. The bad news is that it hasn't closed - the good news is that I have 3 days after closing to get out, so it's kind of ok...

Thanks to Brin and Tristan (Correy's Daughter and SIL), I got all the big stuff (Freezer, Washers and dryer, Loom) and the kitchen and all the previously packed books over last Wednesday and into storage. I drove home Thursday, and Sandi (a Eugene friend) helped me get all the smaller furniture and odd assorted bits into the borrowed stock trailer, which I hauled over Friday, and then drove back Saturday. Whew - a lot of too-ing and fro-ing!

Work is odd - I don't really have much to do, given that I'm only here for another 5 days. However, I'm not really here, anyway! They're planning a party - I told them to have lots of kleenex...  Also, Chocolate Brownie Thunder ice cream.

The truck is in the shop to the tune of $600 - major tune up, new distributor - or I wouldn't be able to haul the travel trailer over the hill this weekend...

Sorry I'm a little scattered - it's weird coming home to a mostly empty house.  Last night my dinner was fat-free fudgesicles and a beer - I have no pots or utensils until I bring the trailer home tonight! Then I can use some of the food in the pantry...

Oh well, onward!!

Why I can not be considered "normal"...

I am in the midst of moving.  As you may know, moving sucks... So, I, in an attempt to be a "responsible adult" applied for a job in Bend, for which I had an interview on Friday. It went well, other than the fact that I woke up at 2:50 am that morning and couldn't get back to sleep. I don't do sleep deprivation well.

By the time I had driven to Prineville, changed into interview clothes (which I had to buy, not having any suitable...), driving to Bend, doing the interview, driving to Madras to look at a house to rent (not suitable), and getting back to Prineville to change back into "real" clothes, I was a wreck.

I went to the Fair anyway. I had a good time, but was well and truly somnambulant by the time Correy and I got back to her place. I called about another house, which sounded good, but when they found out I had one of those evil, wicked, killer dogs (a pit bull who sleeps under the covers on the bed, loves cats, wants to lick people to death), I was declined. That was the last straw. I lost it. I'm not giving up my dog. We did watch "The Tourist," which was fun.

So Saturday morning, I got it together, and drove home with a migraine. When I got home, I did pillow-blankie-night night courtesy of oxycodone (it's prescribed, never fear - I'm not an addict).  When I got up, I called LindaLou.

I may have mentioned this before, but Linda and I are both INFP's - Introvert/Intuitive/Feeling/Perceiving, per the Meyers Briggs personality inventory. There's some very small percentage of humans that are this type.  She understands me.  So I called her about having second thoughts about the job interview (they are to call me this week for another go). She calmly asked me why I applied for the job, since I wasn't settled enough to know where I was, and why I thought I *needed* a job right away, and, basically, what was I thinking! I said that I guess I was trying to be normal, having a job, being a responsible, self-sufficient adult, to which she replied, "But you're not normal!"

Thanks, Linda, for whacking me upside the head with the cosmic 2 x 4 and getting me back on track.

I'm still kind of a wreck, but I'm going to take the rest of the week off and pack and move stuff, since the house is supposed to close on Friday and I have to be out by Monday.  Yesterday, it took me all day to do my very small bathroom... My bedroom is the stuff of nightmares, and then there's the kitchen...  I know it will all work out, but I swear, if I were a normal person, I wouldn't leave it all until the last minute.

I think the P really stands for Procrastination...

It's been a year!

Last year at this time, I was in the hospital on major drugs recovering from double knee replacement surgery. While the initial recovery was painful, I am now pain free, and lovin' it!

I saw my doctor yesterday, and he's still very pleased (as am I), and I don't have to go back for 4 years. I told him that I was moving, and he said he could refer me to a group in Bend, but said that he'd be happy to have me come back to see him (which I will probably do - we have a good raport). As I was leaving, he gave me a hug! I almost cried.

I've been baby-sitting 2 breeding groups of Correy's sheep at the pasture near my house. Last night, I stopped by to check water and found the owner wringing his hands about a water leak.  The upshot is that he's had to turn the water off that serves the sheep, and I'm making an unscheduled trip over the hill with sheep on Friday. I may be able to bring a load of sheep from the east side to the sheep buyer - at $5/head, it helps with the gas...

Annie is now being ridden - I'm going to see her today after work (and to pick up the stock trailer that I'm borrowing to move sheep!).  More pictures soon.

You know what? Moving sucks. Let me repeat that - Moving sucks!!! I have so much stuff - I should have a garage/yard sale, but I don't have time to price everything, move it out of the house to where the sale might/could be (it's foggy at night still), and most of my cast offs will probably go to a) the dump, or b) goodwill. I have boxes, but probably need more, and am still up in the air about where I'm going (other than plan A, which is Correy's back yard with the trailer). I think I'm going to get a storage unit this weekend when I go over there, just in case.  I can also take the boxes that I have packed so far, which would be smart... 

I think I'm like my bosses - I'm in total denial. I know it's coming, I know I need to get stuff done, but I just get paralyzed and don't do anything...  Not good.  I envy LindaLou - she's moving the same weekend that I am (or I would be helping her!), but all her stuff has been in storage so it's already packed.  I need a fairy godmother to come wave her magic wand and make it happen  - or whack me up side the head with a 2 x 4 to get me going...

Oh my, how things change...

So I called my benefits administrator at the City to discuss my coming separation.  After talking about some options, we got off the phone.  She immediately called me back.  Since I'm 57, I'm eligible to retire!! I can still work for a non-PERS employer without interuption of my retirement payment...

SO I'M RETIRING!! Wow. Interesting.  It takes some getting used to...

A welcome interlude

On June 20^th, I took Sweet Annie to a trainer, Jordan Stevens, in nearby Creswell.  I had met with him, and really got a very good feeling for his calm, quiet manner with his horses.  As he also said that when they deserved discipline, they got it, I knew he wasn’t a complete softy!

I’d been back to see her twice – once the next day, when she was so pissed off (and in flaming season) that she wouldn’t let me touch her, and then again last week, when, with the bribe of cookies, she was happy to bless me with her company so long as the cookies lasted.  I have not been avoiding her because of any instruction from Jordan; rather I felt it would be less confusing for her not to wonder where her loyalties should lie. It seems that I was right.

On a whim Friday, I went down to see her. Jordan was helping his whole family get the hay in before the next rain (that night…). He was grateful for the break, and walked right up to Annie (I couldn’t ever do that), and brought her out to show me what progress she’s made.  And what progress it is!  The skittish mare that I left is no longer in evidence. He expressed the opinion that since she’s the omega horse, she just needed someone to tell her what to do.  She takes instruction very well!  Even though she had been worked with earlier in the day, she graciously demonstrated all she’s learned:

Having a rope flipped up around her head, and all over her body

Standing untied to be saddled and bridled

Ground driving at the walk and trot

Stopping quietly with her nose down!

Standing quietly while Jordan mounted and sat on her

He’ll start having her carry him around with a friend leading her this next week.  He’s thrilled with her progress (as am I).  She’s not stupid, and catches on quickly and quietly to his instructions. One really great thing she does that was unexpected is that when he crosses behind her when ground driving, she doesn’t care. Many young horses are very unnerved by the “disappearance” of their human behind them, out of sight. Not Ann.  This bodes really, really well for continuing her training to pulling a cart. I’ll continue that part of her further education, since I have a little (very little!!) experience with that.  My arab was pulling shafts of pvc while I ground drove him around the fire roads near where we lived, but I never added weight.  If Ann is this placid about new things (Jordan says she’s actually a little lazy…), putting her to cart won’t be a huge deal, if taken slowly.

It was a really very calming interlude in my otherwise crazy life to spend time with my pony – after she was finished with show and tell, I led her around for about 45 minutes, letting her eat grass, which she thought was a great reward! Now that she a Jordan are working together well, I’ll check in more often (like once a week).  He’s sure that by the end of her 90 days, I’ll be riding her instead of him – I can’t wait!!

Sometimes the change comes faster than you're ready for...

Lots has happened since the last post. 

First, I have sold my house. Close of escrow is on or before August 19, and I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed. The good news is that the buyers have agreed to clean up the property - I just have to get the house cleaned out. The bad news is that I have to get the house cleaned out.

How can one person accumulate so much crap? Ok, I know that when I moved in here 4.5 years ago, I went from a 1436 sq. ft. house into an 840 sq. ft. house, and didn't have enough room for everything, so I purged big time, I thought. Since then, I've managed to accumulate more stuff, acquired some of Mom's stuff after her passing (I needed a dumpster even before that!!), and now find myself doing the 2nd run through the clothing (how many t-shirts does one need??). I have already taken 4 bags of clothes to Goodwill, and one bag of shoes - my ex used to call me Imelda...

Needless to say, I've been procrastinating. I need to find a flatbed trailer to haul the panel gates and hog and cattle panels over to Correy's, since I don't want to sell them (I might need them someday...). Also, fencing, t-posts and 4 x 4's that can be used for animal stuff. I haven't found a borrow-able trailer yet, and don't want to spend the $$ to rent one.  Correy has generously offered to babysit my loom, and a couple of vintage oak dressers (one is Mission), and all the fiber... I'm not sure she knows how much that is... ;-)

But along with the full-blown panic of moving, there have been some really fun times in the last few weeks. Two weeks ago, I headed over to Correy's to help skirt fleeces (maybe she does understand how much fiber I have after all...), and got to see Who's Your Daddy in person.  Man, is she a pistol! We haltered both foals, and Correy did the initial leading training.

Her colt is relatively mild mannered, and really cute. He's out of her Arab/Appy/Paint mare, Jazz, and her Foundation Quarter Horse Stallion, Duster. The colt's name is Duster's Sunday Surprise, as he was born early on a Sunday morning, when everyone had decided that Jazz was just going to be permanently pregnant (she was about 3 weeks overdue).  He has the greatest markings, and the promise to be a very nice-looking horse (he will be gelded). A couple of pictures:

Whosie (tater is not appropriate), on the other hand, is a total control freak like her mother (and me...). She does NOT want that thing on her head, and she does NOT want to walk with you and she does NOT really care if you touch her or not, even when it feels good.  She threw herself on the ground several times that first time after getting the halter on.  We took advantage of that and scratched her all over, moved her legs around, played with her tail - all the while she was rigid with indignation.  Make no mistake, this filly was NOT afraid. Combined with the fact that this girl is going to be around 15 hands (her knees are already at the same height as Kiri's), it's going to be imperative that I figure out what makes her tick and get her to acquiesce to a human being alpha.  Should be interesting. First picture is before we "tormented" her:

Note how tall she is in this picture - she's one month old - Kiri is about 13.2 (54" at the withers):

After her exhausting afternoon (aren't baby teeth cute?):

Also, here are a couple of pictures that I forgot I had from the Reno trip. These were taken at the marsh about 1/4 mile from my old house.  I swear this Yellowheaded Black Bird was posing:

Not a great picture, but a Great Egret is always fun to see:

And last but not least, this last Sunday, Correy's daughter, Brin , and I went to what turned out to be the finale concert of the Oregon Bach Festival. Brin had gotten a voucher for 2 tickets, and let me choose the concert.  Since the one with Yo Yo Ma was exempted from the voucher (dang...), we went to see Beethoven's 9th Symphony (Ode to Joy).  I've never seen it live, though I have a really nice recording of it. I almost got to sing in it, but had to drop out last fall when I strained my voice trying to sing it.  I'm a first soprano, but there are more high A's in that one piece than I've sung in my whole life up to that point, and it was too much.  Anyway, the music was really good, the soli were adequate, but the chorus rocked! They were so tight, entrances and cut off's were perfect and the sound carried out over the orchestra like ocean waves - there all the time.  I had goosebumps the entire concert.  I'm sure my seatmate (not Brin) was wondering about this loony sitting next to her bouncing her feet and swaying to the music - I just can't help it!!

So, onward. Tonight I'll sort the clothes again... Honest...

Sometimes, a change is gonna come...

I've been putting off writing this post for about 2 months. 

I've put my house up for sale. Annie is in training and not at home, Prize went to a much better home than I could give him, given the craziness that is currently my life.  It's very weird not having livestock at home (other than poultry). With Annie in training until mid-September, I don't have to worry about her. When I pick her up, she'll be rideable, and I will be able to continue her training in dressage and driving. Kiri will be caring for the 'Tater (Who's Your Daddy), who won't be weaned until at least December, and probably later, given that mid-winter isn't a good time for that kind of stress.

I have come to the realization that I can't live where it rains 80-90 inches per year.  I have asthma, and this last year has just about killed me.  My 1984, semi-permeable mobile home is full of mold, mildew and assorted fungi - probably the reason I developed my anaphylactic mushroom allergy. I have had more lung problems in the last 2 years, than all the years before, and find myself increasingly short of breath (ok, I'm out of shape, too, but not that bad...).

I've also realized that I'm not like normal people.  I thrive on change.  Oh, I can stay put in a job for several years, but then I need to be doing something different. I've been at my current job for 6 years.  To say that I'm feeling chaffed, is putting it mildly - twitchy is a better adjective. My current job is as close to a dream job as you can get - good people, good, interesting stuff to do, and good pay.  However, it's in a location that will do me in. 

Some of my favorite jobs were temporary in nature.  I would go, clean things up, kick butt, take names - they loved me and I moved on. Life was good.  I also really enjoyed working for myself, setting my own hours, doing fun stuff in between doing my work.  I'm not all that concerned with my future - so long as I keep putting in my share, the universe has always provided what I need at the time.

So, my plan is to sell the house (mainly the land - the house isn't worth much), and move east to central Oregon.  The climate is more like Reno - I miss that way more than I thought I would.  It's has more "big sky" than where I live now. Walton is in a canyon, and while the trees and green are very nice, my eyes are feeling squished. 

By the end of summer (Sept/Oct) I will have relocated.

The hardest part right now is that I feel like I've failed as a farmer.  Anybody can have chickens...  Someday, I'll have another place and have pigs and sheep and maybe goats (along with the ponies), but for now, even the chickens are going to a new home soon (which they already have, thank goodness). It's very strange not to have hooved stock outside the back door - that's what brought me to Oregon in the first place! I wanted a place where my sheep could graze for at least part of the year, so I wouldn't have to feed so much hay. Now I have unused hay in my barn.  It won't go to waste - I'll haul it over to Correy to help feed Kiri and 'Tater. But it's like it's the end of a dream. I'm hoping it's just a suspension, and that I'll get back to it. 

The universe may have other ideas, though.  There are other things in the works, which are too nebulous to mention now.  If they solidify, I'll post about them later.

In the meantime, I'm purging stuff like mad.  I'm hoping to get down to just the bare essentials beyond bed, loom, fiber stuff, cd's and books - that's not asking too much, is it?

Reno and back in 4 days...

Ok, so "normal people don't do that...  But I never said I was normal!

I took Kiri over to Correy's on the 27th, and we left from there Saturday morning, traveling through Klamath Falls, Alturas and into Reno.  It was snowing almost all the way down (not sticking, thankfully), an being drier on the east side, the road was mostly dry, too.  That meant I could actually cruise at 70 mph, which my truck likes, very, very much - I got 17.1 mpg on that leg of the trip (less than one tank of gas from Bend and over 500 miles).

We got to my sister's, who was not home, and went to dinner with my dad, who had beat us by a day coming up from So. Cal. with the trailer.  We went to my favorite Vietnamese restaurant, Pho Golden Flower, where we had War Won Ton Pho, and salad rolls - yum!

Side note:  I'm still not used to the fact that I'm a) allergic to mushrooms (like, epi-pen allergic), and b) they're in everything.  Of course they are in the pho...  I picked mine out and gave them to Correy.  Fortunately, my reaction doesn't set in until about 30 minutes later, by which time we were back at my sister's.  I was feeling a little weird (like my head was full of helium) - oh, and did I mention that I left my epi-pen at home?? - so I took two benedryl.  I haven't reached the stage of being instantly affected, nor do my breathing passages close up quickly, so the benedryl still works.  But if I don't quit forgetting, pretty soon, I'll be in trouble...

On Sunday, we kind of lazed around, went shopping at Borders and Jimmy Beans Wool (yes, I bought yarn), and I made Alpaca shank stew.  Unfortunately, while we were out, my sister and BIL came home, and he turned the crockpot down, so they didn't cook in time, changing dinner plans.  We salvaged them and had them on Monday.

Monday morning, Correy and I went out to Red Rock and visited with Sharon and Mim.  After a tour of the pastures and seeing the sheep and adorable goats, we hung out in the Womb Woom - talking fiber, playing with the dogs and cats, and catching up.  We left in time to meet Allison and Amy at Walden's Coffeehouse for lunch.  What fun - Amy and Allison duelling with their iPads and we were all laughing.  It was really, really good to see all the Reno friends - I miss them.

Got back to my sister's, where we were expecting my niece, Harmony and her husband, Jeff, my nephew, Mackenzie, and his girlfriend, Aubrie. They were all adventurous enough to try the alpaca stew (and loved it...), along with the bbq'd chicken and roasted veggies - it being Memorial Day, bbq-ing was mandatory.

We left early (5:43 am) on Tuesday to wend our way back home, trailer in tow (dang - I forgot to take pictures!!).  We had quartering, cross and headwinds all the way up and still got 11.5 mpg pulling the trailer! After dropping Correy off at her daughter's in Creswell, I got home at 5:30 pm - whew, what a long day!

Everyone at home was very pleased to see me...  I was very glad to sleep in my own bed.

Home again!

It's a girl!!

I delivered Kiri to Correy's house Friday evening, and then we left for Reno (more on that trip in a later post).

I was on the phone with my sister, whose birthday is today, when Correy called to let me know Kiri was no longer pregnant, and had delivered a filly sometime late last night or early this morning.  Her name is "Who's Your Daddy," barn name to be determined.  It appears that she will be bay, with a left hind sock and a star. Correy's mare is not interested at all, for all that she's due anytime now, as well!

So, debut pictures:

Kiri looks relieved .  Correy says she's not pleased with the calves trying to check the filly out!  I can't wait to get over there to play with her!!

Wedding, Ponies and Travel

Last weekend, I spent Thursday through Sunday in Prineville.  My goddaughter, Brin, got married.  Now, you probably didn't know I had a goddaughter.  I was given the honorary title of Fairy Godmother by Brin, who is Correy's daughter.  There are actually several of us Fairy Godmothers in Brin's life - we all love her very much.  FG Sue made her veil from the wool of one of Correy's sheep, and FG Belinda made her dress. When they announced that they wanted pictures of the new couple with the moms, we FG's all looked at each other and decided they didn't mean us!

My part in the wedding was to deliver Brin in all her gorgeousness to the base of the aisle in the pony cart.


I'm concentrating really hard!

The wedding was outside, and the weather was perfect, after a morning scare.  It was raining Saturday morning, and we were all a little concerned.  By about 9:30, though, it quit, and then for the ceremony, it was just overcast, perfect for pictures.  After the ceremony, the clouds broke up and it was sunny, and the party was on!

I don't really like having my picture taken.  So when a friend was aiming my way, standing with Correy to my right, I stuck out my tongue.  Unfortunately, another "friend" took advantage of another angle and got the shot.  Ok, so it's not my best pose!

We had a great time, as did all of the participants and guests.

I think I've been bitten by the driving bug.  After driving Levi (the pony), I could just picture Annie in harness. She has a a really lovely trot - very elevated action, which shows off the feathers on her lower legs. While she's not as dark as Honey was, she's still a pretty good looking pony. I may try to get her and Prize trained to cart - he's pretty flashy, too!  First, I need to get a harness.  Ok, first I need to start working with Annie and get her used to basic things before the harness parts...

Tomorrow, I'm starting the trip to Reno, via Prineville, to pick up the travel trailer that my dad is giving to me.  It's a 1979, 19.5 ft. Komfort.  It's going to be used as the party pad at sheep shows and the guest house at home.  While in Reno, I'm hoping to get together with all the friends down there, as well as seeing family - too much fun!!

There's a new kid in town...

Once again, I find myself with 2 horses, neither of whom is rideable.  With Kiri pregnant (her udder is developing, so there’s no question now…), she’s out of action.  Annie hasn’t gotten there yet.

Enter Eyes on the Prize.  He’s an 8-9 year old, 14.2 ish, half Arab, half Quarter horse gelding.  He’s been under saddle since he was 2, mainly used in 4-H, so his ground manners are really good.  However, since he’s been a kid’s 4-H horse, he doesn’t know much other than go, stop, trot, lead, pick up feet, etc.  Lateral work will start tonight after work.  He’s been on trails, all over Silver Falls St. Park and other areas near his previous home. He’s pretty laid back, but has a mischievous streak – apparently he picks up tarps and drags them around, or swings them over his head.  He also doesn’t like blankets, and will remove his  and anyone else’s he can reach.  I like this! Michelle accused me of falling for the flashy paint - Not!! 

He needs dental work (wolf teeth that make a bit very painful) and his feet done (hadn’t been done since October… what were they thinking???).  I can ride him with a hackamore (no bit) once I get his feet done.  Hopefully he inherited the Arab feet, which are tough as nails.  If not, I’ll get some boots – they’re cheaper than repeated shoeing.

The funny thing is that Annie chases him, and he lets her (sort of half-heartedly).  She has never been anything but the bottom of the heap in any herd she’s been in.  Now, there is a sparkle in her eye, and an arch in her neck, and there’s a bounce in her step that I haven’t seen before.  She thinks she’s hot stuff… There’s a new-found confidence in this little mare that will be interesting to watch play out.  When Kiri goes over to Correy’s for maternity care/leave, that will leave Annie and Prize at home.  I’m sure that she will think she’s alpha mare, and that we will have to have words, much like Kiri and I did a couple of months ago.  However, I think that once she sees her boundaries take shape, she’ll actually like knowing her place.  I also think it will help her in her training – she won’t be so tentative.

Anyway, I now have a riding horse – and I’m really glad.

Is she or isn't she?

When I got Kiri, I was suspicious that she was pregnant (one of those intuitive flashes I get), but then while at Michelle's, she was being such a turd and her back/ovaries were sore, I decided that I was mistaken.

This is a picture from the slaughter lot where I got her:

Note the rather tightish belly line. This was in December.

This is now:

Note the downward sag of her belly.

Equine gestation is 11 months, roughly. Since I don't know when she was bred (before going to the slaughter lot, I'm pretty sure), I have no idea when she's due.  I can tell she's foaled before from the look of her udder/teats (they've been used!).

While this is exciting, it's also very worrisome.  I don't do baby horses. I don't have the time it takes to get them handle-able, and comfortable with humans.  I hadn't bargined on a two-fer!

However, when talking to a friend today about it, we came up with a name for the (very possibly impending) foal - Who's Your Daddy.  It's gender neutral, and the barn name can be anything.

Progress reports will be intermittent, but forthcoming.

Oh, and I've had 88 inches of rain in 6 months. $%(^*$_)(%^*(^