Is It The Same for Everyone, I Wonder?

It is another foggy morning-- a gift. The temperature this summer is O.K. here but the sun is intense. Unlike my previous place of residence where there was 90% shade and afternoon fog, here there is 90% full sun. It is very difficult to get all the outside things done. And it goes long days without raining sometimes.

BUT if I reclaim a garden and plant seed and water a couple of days then the rains come and take care of the watering while I attend to other things. When I am wondering how I am going to tackle a difficult task that I really want to accomplish, along comes two foggy mornings.

If I commit to something, the way is made easier, if something is important to me, I am given an opportunity. It seems the only thing required of me is action-- I don't even have to believe it can happen- to begin with. Give me days of afternoon or evening of showers or morning fog and I begin to believe.

The unbelievable part is that most of the tasks I have conquered have been solo operations except for the HUGE reclaiming of the vegetable garden which was tackled by the family of some fiber campers. That was a profound gift. At the beginning of the summer, I was not sure how I was going to keep up with the farm work without Adam (see last summer's blogs). As summer began, I just took care of high priority projects, and then, time seemed to slow on some days and a little extra was accomplished. Suspended time= another gift.

I often feel like I am in a sub climate set up just for me; rains timed for my schedule, a little extra time no one else notices, unworkable weather when I need a rest. After all, even others near by, don't have the same needs.

This spring when I went to the pruning workshop, I remember the old guy presenting saying-- when he looks at a fruit tree he not only sees where he is going to prune that day but also knows what he will prune the subsequent 5 years. That has become my philosophy for farm work. I see what I will do today, next week, next fall, and the next 5 years. The exciting thing is I can see the rose bush on the fence by the shed and almost smell it even though it will not be planted for awhile. It is not something that has not been done it is something to look forward to.

The lifelong pruner went on to say-- sometimes the deer decide to prune for you but that's O.K. you just have to alter your plans a bit.

This blog is here to remind me, when I get discouraged, that all is fine; there will be morning fog, afternoon showers, cool dry days, and sometimes you just have to alter your plans a bit.

July 3rd

Two things I associate with July 3rd-- my mother's birthday and Jen's states shorts neither is a clue for a password. I remember for certain it was my mother's birthday- the states shorts I am a little foggy on.

I was talking to a friend a couple of days ago who said she still looks for our truck at the 4th of July parade even though she knows we moved three years ago. In Chatham the 4th of July is BIG and stretches into at least a 3 day celebration with fireworks staggered for different towns and boating and cookouts the big parade and the first band concert of the summer. One of the reasons it is so big is that it also announces the beginning of summer FINALLY.

Lyndy and I were just talking about the 4th last week and saying we didn't need all of that this year. Those Chatham 4ths were memorable but they all run together. Other memorable 4ths that come to mind-- being alone in Boulder Colorado hiking around flagstaff, I think, very mindful of how QUIET that day was and how odd that seemed and being at Monticello witnessing immigrants gain their naturalization.

And now it is the 4th and Lyndy and I went tubing in the creek and we 3 are spending a quiet 4th. Happy Independence Day. Lyndy commented this morning on how the chickens get their freedom and can come and go as they wish but the sheep and Beau don't. I guess their are just differing degrees of freedom here on the farm.

More Lamb Photos

Sammy in the early morning.

Mary getting a good scratch

Gretta with her perfect heart on her nose in the sun light

Annie, Rosa and Sammy grazing thin grass with plenty of grass around them.

They are getting bigger but they still act like lambs. Most of them are getting friendlier. Need to start spending more time with the lambs alone. Last week's camper thinks the sheep sleep too much. I told him they graze all night but he still didn't want them to sleep so much. He was all about the sheep and llama. They are pretty cool.

Time to Change Focus Again

Two weeks of Fiber Camp and now I have a few weeks off. All in all Fiber Camp went well. Had a couple of grandparents one day this week. Lots of ideas about what can be made from wool.

Now I have to shift focus. I want to work with the lambs and try to train them to accept a harness. That can be very useful. There are a few different people interested in buying lambs so may find the right home/s soon. I am sure it will work out. The rain has come again and they have enough to eat for now so no real rush except it is harder keeping track of 13 sheep and things are much better under control with fewer-- especially when I get busy with other things like fiber camp.

Tomorrow I need to cut poke berry and thistle before they flower and spread seed. Then it is up to the high pasture to cut the trailing nuisance up there.

Went over to a friend's house late this afternoon and for dinner. They have a BEAUTIFUL place and I told them all that was missing was a few sheep. I could almost see them like I could on our pasture before we had sheep come live here. They already have chickens-- it is a logical next step. They have a wonderful vegetable garden and some nice perennial beds and a several acre lawn. Why should they take time away from the things they love to mow the grass.

We were talking about how even if there are sheep to eat grass guys still like to ride tractors, (it is a guy thing). But guys can drive tractors to and fro to fetch things -- they don't have to spend so much time on a tractor and spend all the money on gas.

Fiber Camp begins for the Summer

Whoa, it has been a week since the last blog. This week of Fiber Camp is over and today is cooler so now is a good time to do many things but I am waiting for a phone call so I will write while I wait.

The phone call is someone who may be interested in giving a new home to some of the sheep and lambs. It is that time I guess. The lambs are still nursing when the mom's allow but certainly less frequently and they are old enough to leave this home and venture out. I will miss them individually but collectively they are just too many critters for the layout here.

Fiber Camp was great! I hope all my campers are as enthusiastic as the campers this week. This camp session had an attendance 300% greater than the last. The 3 were each unique but all possessed tremendous explorational skills. It was amazing watching the lights turn on in their brains. The main thing this week did for me was give me hope for the next generation. Not all the youth out there are couch potatoes and computer addicts.

I will make changes in how I do the next camp but all in all I think things went well. One thing I have to improve on is documentation. At first I forgot my camera and then when I did have it I forgot to take pictures much of the time. A great picture in the mind is of us making a large piece of sheet felt in a kiddie pool in the cabin because it was raining outside.

We also need more time to create more but, most days, it started getting too hot the last 15-30 minutes. The kids are new to knitting or new to felting, or new to spinning so instruction and practice take precious time but I have to keep reminding myself that it isn't product that is important but rather learning new skills that you can build on for the rest of your life. Hopefully, the children will come back while these new skills are fresh so we can continue where we left off and explore some more.

Each day started off with letting the sheep and Beau out to graze the lower pasture and the kids loved opening the gates and watching the parade. They got to know most of the names and would always ask who's fleece we were working with. That made me so happy to see them making connections and understanding the whole process. The animals are learning to make connections too and like having campers, especially Beau.

The Kirby Kid Visit

When you live out in the country you rarely have anyone come up the driveway except neighbors and the UPS guy. One day there was a young woman who's car broke down up the road. Today, a young vacuum cleaner salesman came up.

He gave me a rubber duck and asked me if he could clean my house. He said I didn't have to buy a vacuum cleaner he just needed to do 3 demonstrations a day. When I was in college I had a summer job going house to house trying to sell home improvement so I said yes. Besides, how could I turn down someone wanting to clean my house.

I told him I had no carpets just one rug so he vacuumed that and it never looked as good as it does now. Not good enough to buy a $2000.00+ Kirby though.

One guy takes three salesmen out and drops them one at a time at homes that agree to a demonstration. He keeps track of where he leaves them and goes back to pick them up when they call to say they are done. When the kid that came to my house called to get picked up, his boss said it would be a few minutes cause another guy was doing paper work. The kid didn't want to keep me from what I was doing SO we went outside and he helped me fill sand bags that I picked up today to divert the rain that goes into the barn when it rains hard.

I had tried to solicit help from a former client this morning to fill sand bags but she was baby sitting the whole day and so I thought it was going to be just me. I LOVE THE WAY GOD SENDS HELP WHEN YOU NEED IT> I AM ALWAYS AMUSED TO SEE HOW THINGS WORK OUT> COME ON _ A vACUUM SALESMAN?

MY COMPUTER IS DOING IT AGAIN BUT TOMORROW OR MONDAY I WILL HAVE A NEW ONE WITH LITTLE PERSONALITY (I HOPE)>

I gave up trying to get this sent out last night so here it is this morning. Oh, by the way, they told me my neighbor (the one whose drum carder I use) bought a vacuum. I should have said, "great, now I can borrow her's" . We borrow lots of things in the country (tractors, drum carders, spinning wheels, cross-country skis, canning pots, maple syrup evaporators .... why not a Kirby vacuum.

GARBLE

The rain came agaiN< THE NeW Barrel FILLED UP< AND THE BARN GOT VERY SOGGY!

GUESS WHAT, I AM GETTING A NEW COMPPUTER> NOT BECAUSE OF THE SPORATIC LETTER THING BUT BECAUSE it iS starting to freEZE Up and black out and such.

Anyway, it was a beaUtiFUl day todaY BUT I sPent most oF THE DAY spinNING WITH THE SPiNNING GROUP NORTH OF HERE> PICKED UP SOME GOOD TIPS and genuinely had a good time. Tomorrow, John anD I are going On aN excURtION TO Floyd TO AN ARTICAN FESTIVAL> I am GLAD IT IS SUPPOSE TO BE COOL SO I DON"T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT THE ANIMALS AND WATER>

I have some ideas about the water situation that I will pursue soon. My focus now is on selling lambs, drumming up kids for camp, and getting the website finished. I will soon introduce my followers to the website.

Just talked to Lyndy. She wants more cute lamb pictures. O.K. Who wants these cute lambs? Sorry, the computer is NOT COMPLYING> I WILL TRY ONE MORE TIME> NOT TONIGHT< WAIT UNTIL I HAVE A NEW COMPUTER>