Feb 2018 Shearing day set up and ready to go
Feb 2018 Shearing day
I know we did more than 20 sheep, but I don’t know how many and don’t have enough energy to count the fleeces. So tomorrow…….
Pierre is so good at shearing them, that many just lay there very relaxed so he can get on with their spa day. (this one may birth in the next day or two)
In contrast, this is one with the vet. Just to make life interesting, this girl had a prolapsed vagina. If not treated immediately, it meant death. So the vet (in green shirt) came out, put everything back inside her and we hope for the best. This was not fun for anyone because she had to be held upside down to shove this large ball of protrusion back inside her body. It is stitched in to hold it hopefully until the baby arrives and then she will not be bred again. She is a good family pet prospect as she has beautiful wool and will be useful for that.Spools quilt together
The spools quilt is together and ready for borders. It seems this week has been fast and furious. Last night I finished getting everything into Quicken so I can pull up categories for taxes. I showed it to DH so he could assemble what he needs for the part he does. I found a couple mistakes which I will repair and then it is ready for my visit with the tax man. We have added the farm this year as a business so I don’t really know which numbers he will want. But they are all there and that is a huge relief.
The sheep shearing man is scheduled for Sunday and that will be an all day job. If you are close and want to stop by and watch, you are welcome. I was told to be ready by 8.30 AM. I think we are doing about 30 sheep.
I mentioned to you earlier this week that we decided to drop 20 years from our ages. The really ridiculous thing is that we have both have had more energy. It really seems silly, but we are trying to believe it and act accordingly and I love that more is getting done. We are also more tired at the end of the day and sleeping better. Try it and tell me how it goes for you.
Have a peaceful and restful day tomorrow.
Wool is fiber
Wool is fiber and an adventure. Today we skirted (meaning picked weeds, and other etc out of the fleeces and 
then took myriad photos to advertise them. We put 3 on line and sold 2 of them immediately. This process takes a lot of time. We also did 2 of the neighbors fleeces.
Beau must stand on his back feet to chew this polyester cord, so the board will slip and he can get through. He is a challenge. Maybe a wider board will do the trick.
Mind over matter
When we got up this morning, we were 20 years older, than we are tonight. At breakfast, I decided we were not getting enough done and DH was doing nothing other than the gym and the dishes and napping. Well, that’s because he retired without hobbies. So using the phrase “mind over matter”, I told him, he is now 64 and that’s how he gets to act and think. WOW! I should have come up with this earlier. He actually did act younger. And since he is 20 years younger, I also am. So the greenhouse beds are all weeded.
I still need to clean the weeds near the entrance. I brought in a load of the cabbage leaves we love for our cooked greens
I washed them and stemmed them, then he cut and cooked them, freezing some.
The barn stalls are cleaned, 3 primroses were planted and a load of laundry is done, plus a half hour of sewing. After a snack, I sat down to catch up on the computer (where I dozed off for a few minutes) and he took a short nap. It is amazing how much we can get done when we drop 20 years off our age!
A very few rows
Mary came over today and we enjoyed catching up on each others lives. We started by having a fast food lunch and came back to knitting for me and crocheting for her while we chatted. As you can see, I got a very few rows knitted on my next pair of socks, but start, I did.
Of course, we had to check in on the sheep and feed them. Last year, one of the mothers produced a pair of twin lambs when Mary came to see them. No one produced today. However, the coyotes are certainly close by and letting us all know how hungry they are for lamb.
Almost ready
The feeder is full, the floor is cleaned with fresh straw and 
she’s almost ready – just in the last stage of waiting. You can see her eyes are closed and she is tired. She’s breathing heavily and babies have dropped. We may be looking at 2 days, but you know nature has a way of it’s own.
Between watching sheep and cleaning stalls, I took some time to finish putting these spools together. I still have the strips and the squares to put between the rows. That will take time to decide which color to put where, but I am happy with the progress I made today.
Slow and steady progress
Progress is slow and steady on this Spool Quilt. However, today, I was able to add a trip to the gym, cleaning in the barn, a casserole for tomorrow’s lunch, and several phone calls with the stem cell doctor’s office.
We now have an appointment mid month to go and learn if/how they can be of help. It is a medical Doctor who is working with FDA and one’s own stem cells and Parkinson’s. While I’m trying not to get my hopes up to high, I’m praying it will be helpful. We live in an interesting age where “Knowledge increases, men run to and fro”
Shabbat Shalom to each of you
Spool soufflé row 1
Spool Souffle’ row 1 is together. Most of the day was spent researching stem cell for Parkinson’s. One has to dig and make many calls to learn much. And that means much time on the phone. So I’m linking up to Elm Street Quilts in the hope that I can get this done as my “OMG” for February http://www.elmstreetquilts.com/2018/02/one-monthly-goal-february-goal-setting.html
Then a neighbor who doesn’t understand sewing machinery, called this afternoon and has a bridesmaid’s dress that needed to be shortened 2″ by this evening. Wasn’t going to happen here. Her comment “you do have a serger as JoAnn’s said that how to do it”. Yes and without time, how does that happen? She’s a lovely woman and I hate to disappoint her, but I need more time than that to get a full dress and overskirt hemmed and I’m not really good with the rolled hem.
Winter or spring?
Is it winter or spring, or perhaps half way in between? The Christmas cactus, that actually bloomed at Christmas, is once again blooming. Today though the winds were cold, the hoop house was warm.
The garlic in the left photo is coming up nicely. I planted it inside last fall because we weren’t sure if we’d get to an outside garden this spring. In the right photo, the kale at the back is still doing great. I weeded this much today – which is about 1/3 of it. Just trying to get the weeds out before they really get a start which in here is very early. And I want to get the greens started as well.
I’m trying to squeeze a few minutes of sewing into each day, with some days being more successful than others. I’m ready to start putting this quilt top together now. It is “Spool Souffle” from the Fat Quarter Shop
Lambing supplies
And to add to the fun we have around here, Beau tried to get through this gate as I was trying to keep him from getting through. Now the rotten post is being held up by the latch. Just another something to keep us from getting too comfortable. I think this summer will include replacing many posts.