Alpaca Shearing Day

Today was alpaca shearing day Mary Martin's. As you may recall, Mary helped at Thistle Cove Farm on sheep shearing day back in early April and, when I found out she was shearing alpacas, she graciously allowed me to visit and take photos.

In the photo above, Mike, carefully, shears while his daughter...whose name I neglected to write down and apologize to her for my error... at the head and Alice, on his body, help steady the alpaca while Joyce stands ready to capture the fleece. In the left background, two other alpacas watch the proceedings and wonder how they can manage to escape such a dreadful, embarrassing ordeal.

It was a great day but, then, any day spent in the company of like-minded people, with animals...and fiber animals at that!...is a great day. At times the skies spit a little rain but the alpacas were perfect gentlemen and the worst behavior we saw all day was a whole lot of crying, moaning and groaning going on. You see, the gents were SO unhappy at the undignified manor in which they were sheared...feet tied at either end and then stretched, somewhat reminiscent of long ago days and the medieval practice of putting folks on the rack. Truly, it wasn't as bad as it looked but the way the boys were carrying on, one would have thought they were being tortured.

Miss Innie, at 97 the oldest person watching, said, "just like a man, can't stand much of anything!" We all laughed, partly because it was funny and partly because it's a bit true. Miss Innie still drives, does yard work, cooks and all those other things that keep one going strong. She fully expects to make 100 and there's no doubt she will and be as much an inspiration then as she is now!

Mike, stretched full the length of the alpaca, steadies the animal while Mary prepares to release the leg ties.

There are two types of alpacas, Huacaya and Suri. and both are members of the camilid family and Mary has both types. More than eighty percent of alpacas are huacaya with full, beautiful fleeces. Suri alpacas have the lustrous, pencil type fiber hanging in dreadlocks, making them similar to each other yet still different. Both are incredibly beautiful with lovely fleeces that hand spinners adore.

This photo shows how well Mike is shearing the "blanket", the most desirable portion of the fleece. It also shows how delicate, yet well muscled and tiny, is the alpaca.
Mike, shearing, while Mary watches as Alice steadies the animal and daughter gently holds the head and neck.
Mike, Mary and daughter turning the animal so it can be sheared on the other side.
Oh dear. One alpaca has been sheared, another is on the shearing floor and these three fellows watch in trepiditation. They must be commended, however, as no spitting was seen, at all, during the day. No humming was heard either but plenty of moaning, groaning and general wringing of hands, so to speak, as mentioned earlier.

Mary, and one of her beloved boys. If you want to know the character of a person, watch them around animals. If the animals are calm, gentle, serene you know it's, generally, due to the calm, gentle, serene treatment given by their human. Although the gents were distressed at such "terrible treatment", they bore it well and, throughout the day, were steadfastly calm, gentle and serene.
This little beauty reminds me of a 1950's sci-fi movie made somewhere in New Mexico. Like sheep, alpacas do better, much better, when they are kept in excellent health. Keeping them in excellent health includes shearing, appropriate meds and vaccinations and pedicures. It's much easier and less costly to keep them healthy as opposed to getting them well. It's also much easier on the human as the wear, tear and stress can be overwhelming, on both, during an illness.

It was a beautiful day, filled with laughter, fun, teachers and students, in the company of like-minded people who enjoyed themselves and each other. It was one of those days we'll talk about for a long, long time.

Blessings ~ friends ~ alpacas ~ a great shearer ~ good helpers ~ laughter ~ a meal shared ~

Fiber Arts Friday Carnival

Mary Martin, Lost Arts Guild member and friend, made this AAAdorable felted sheep. She gave it to me when she came to Sheep Shearing Day and I love it. From the heart on either side to the tiny bell to the tiny, tiny braided nose halter...it's Beautiful! Mary has alpacas and shearing day is coming up for her. I've seen alpacas sheared but never Mary's alpacas and am looking forward to visiting in early May.
Above, another felted sweater tea cozy; this one with Mickey Mouse on the upper right hand corner. The felted cut out hearts are being tethered, like balloons, with rickrack. Needless to say, it's a work in progress because I'm still not sure where it's headed.

The back side has stars in the top and the lower piece of tulle is being held in place with sea shells sewn on with yellow thread and different colored beads. The sea turtle is nose to button bearing a yellow star and held in place, again, with colored beads.

The piece needs a lot more work before I'm happy, I'm just not sure of the direction it wants to go. Time will tell. In the meantime, I'm working on baby quilts and have half dozen to finish and get to the babies. I've also got a bed size quilt that needs to be finished by end of April, a couple of pairs of pants to hem and more flowers, apple and other fruit trees and the herb and vegetable gardens to plant.

Thanks to hard work, sunny days and clean air I'm sleeping well these nights.


Blessings ~ friends ~ sheep ~ fiber arts ~ work ~ orchard ~ gardens ~ good sleep ~

Fiber Arts Friday Carnival and Farm Life

Squeaking in under the wire but better later than never, eh?
The Fiber Arts Friday Carnival will spark my memory and allow me to update my fiber fun while keeping me on track...hopefully!

For the past while, I've been working on felting sweater and then making tea cozies, pins, wristlets, anklets and a slew of other fun things.

Some are for sale, others for gifts and I just let my imagination take me where it will. It's been fun and some, like the Mickey Mouse tea cozy, are intended for specific friends while others are intended for my OWOH winner and I'm keeping the birdie for me.

This little tea cozy is in progress; not quite sure how it will turn out but know it will be cute.

I found Fiber Arts Friday Carnival through my association with Mary Jane's Farm. If you're not familiar with Mary Jane's Farm, and if you're interested in farming, sisterhood and the like, you really should visit Mary Janes Farm. You'll be glad you did, I promise!

Mickey Mouse is for friend Mary Q. who has a serious thing for all things Disney. Some of the hearts don't suit me so they will be snipped off and other somethings put in their place. It will have to be special because Mary is special!

This tea cozy is for me not because of the bird but because it was the first one I ever made and I really like it. It's happy and makes me happy just looking at it. There's a felted dragonfly who has glitter wings, a trapunto yellow bird, buttons, mirror...and that's just on one side! There's much, much more on the other side! Oh Lordy. Here's a stack of baby quilts ready to be sewn then birthed. Some already have babies they belong to while others are waiting for their baby. I've also got three Thomas Train, something or other...can't really remember but little boys SCREAM for this one, ready to go. I don't claim to be up on all the baby stuff but, trust me, I seem to have a real talent for buying what children will love. Or, maybe because they are children, they love what I make them. Who knows? Who cares? I'm happy, they're happy...it's a match well made.

I have several double sized quilts ready to go and even more ready to be cut out and pieced together. Who ever said they were bored just haven't bothered to put a few brain cells to the "problem". There aren't enough hours in the day to get done what needs to get done. Now, getting closer to spring, I'm thinking garden and talked to Daddy tonight; he's saving me some thornless blackberry vines so I can have a good start. I've got a couple of fence posts I can use, some good strong wire and, within a couple of years, those blackberry vines will give me 15 gallons of berries! Another tea cozy that needs a lot of embellishment. I pin in place, mess around with placement and embellishments before attaching everything. They are always a work in progress and more is more so I enjoy adding buttons, beads, feathers, yarn, ribbon and as much stuff as I can attach. Somehow it all seems to work and adds a bit of cheer to a breakfast table.

We woke up to a winter snowstorm that, quickly, turned into sleet, ice and rain. The poor poppy had pushed through the earth only to find it's not spring, not really, so best to hide again.

This brave little row of tulip soldiers is coming up in my bulb garden but I hope they don't bloom before the snow and ice melts. I've got photos of blooming flowers but the evening is drawing to a close. There are folks who get by on a minimum of sleep but I'm not one of them.








Yesterday and today I've spent cooking and baking. Winter time is a good time for comfort food and I've been on a blueberry kick lately. We eat baked oatmeal at least once a week around here. It's a good, simply, hearty dish that I can start before going to the barn and it's ready when I return.




















Quilting was last night, or was supposed to be last night, but was cancelled. I didn't know before hand so made a peach and blueberry cobbler to take with me. The peaches and blueberries I put up last summer so the cobbler was especially delicious. I know because I stopped at Brian and Donna's house and we all sampled it bofore I had to leave. I figured I needed to taste test it before leaving it with them as I didn't want them to get sick or anything -smile-. We all decided it was delicious and my instructions are to remember how to make this particular cobbler again.

I'm fairly well known for my pies, probably because not that many people bake pies around here. I've had young men seek me out to tell me how wonderful my pies taste...those young men sure know how to make sure there will be another pie, or three, at the next community dinner!














The above photo is of the cobbler before the topping goes on and the photo below is with the topping. I like quick, easy and delicious and pies and cobblers fit all three -smile-.


Blessings ~ cobblers ~ textile and fiber arts ~ oatmeal ~ blueberries ~ flowers that bloom on their own schedule ~

Sabbath Keeping

The recent snowstorm is nothing more than memories and photographs; perhaps a skiff of snow on the tallest peak in Tazewell County, Morris Knob, pictured above. Here, I'm looking from the alfalfa field, looking across the side and lower pastures, across Rt 91 and then to the Knob, as it's called around here.
Clinton has begun lambing and this is one of the first. It's a down breed mix, primarily Suffolk is my guess and just a few days old. Somehow he managed to get outside the fence so I picked him up, held him for a few squirmming moments and then placed him back inside the fence. He's wild and hated being held but that's the price he has to paid to be put back with Mama. At least I loved on him a bit, Clinton would have tossed him through the fence and said, "get tough!" Yes, Clinton thinks I'm a softie as well as a "hobby farmer"...strong words indeed! And, he's right -smile-.
Psalm 50:10, "For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills."
Buster Brown passed away this weekend and was buried in his clothes. People have asked me if I shear them when they die and have fleeces this lovely. The answer is, "I simply can't." I just cannot send them to their grave nekkid. I know, I know...it's tremendously foolish of me but, for me, it's just wrong. Buster Brown was a good friend for a good many years. I have so many fond memories of nose kisses, head rubs, warm sheepy breath with the smell of alfalfa as he would rub his head against my cheek. He would stand with his head raised when it was time to take his de-worming medicine; not many will stand quietly. He would, slowly but steadfastly, come when he was called. He would allow me to love on him as he stood, patiently, accepting my love with his unwavering heart. He returned that love, unconditionally and always with calm acceptance.

I'm not a good farmer; however, I am a good steward of my animals and that which God has entrusted to me. I'm given the privilege of caring for these "beasts of the field", for tending to their physical needs -food, water, shelter- and I count it all joy. I do realize they aren't humans, truly I do, but I also realize this is the work of my hands as well as my heart and in order for me to stand in the face of God and have Him say, "well done thou good and faithful servant", I must do those things necessary to take extremely good care of His creation.
Zacheous is one of Buster Brown's barn buddies and is almost as ancient as Buster. He's slowing down rapidly but still loves to eat cracked corn out of my hand, drinks his warm water and, if I'm seated, will come to be loved, hugged and kissed.

These are the days that make up the moments that make up my life and, surely, my cup overflows.

We've been off the farm since Thursday past; Dave had a biz meeting in Richmond and I tagged along to use the hotel "heated"...and I use the word loosely...pool, hot tub and other facilities. Truthfully, it was a chance to visit friends and family in central Virginia.

As usual we got a late start but managed to get to RIC with a few moments to spare before dinner...as city folks call supper...on Thursday night. Friday was spent running errands, lunch with friend Peggy, back to the hotel to use the pool, etc. before getting ready for another biz dinner with Dave's associates and friends. Saturday was spent with friend, Mary Lois, and we had a blitz run at the Goodwill store. I found some absolutely lovely things, will post a photo later, and enjoyed my girlfriend time. We finished up the weekend by visiting my Beloved Sistah then Mother and Daddy before heading home early today, Sunday.

This week will be spent getting ready for the One World One Heart finish, will complete some textile postcards...much overdo to be mailed...will mail out a couple of Ravelry swaps and deal with whatever crops up at the last moment. Something always does and I've found it pays to be, a bit, prepared. HAHAHAHA!!! rolling on the floor, madly laughing because LIFE HAPPENS and all I can do is, mainly, hang on...

Also this week, I'm headed to Dr. Bill's Princeton vet's office to pick up a couple of kittens. It's awfully quiet around here and we need some young blood. Although, Miss Kitty is now biting my fingers as I'm typing because my hands are busy but NOT PETTING HER! My animals only wish I knew my place as well as they know my place -smile-.

There are some folks who have decided this blog worth being a touchstone and I am grateful. I adore net-meeting people, seeing what they are doing, how they are living their lives and faith...when you make an opportunity, share the love and please visit Pam Warden, an incredible artist who melds her Christian faith with her artwork...AAAmazing!, Jaime, Rapunzle, Cowgirltazz, Jeweled Elegance, too cool work, KathyB, Jacob sheep aplenty, Penny, lovely visit, Gail, ---and please remember Gail and hers in your prayers...God is allowing them to go through some really rough times---, Leslie my Meadows of Dan neighbor and Robin my near Roanoke neighbor.

We're all in this thing called "life" together...it pays to hold hands, treat others the way we want to be treated, forgive each others and ourselves and to keep the faith but, especially, cultivate praying friends for those times you're too exhausted to pray for youself!

Blessings ~ beautiful places ~ love for one another ~ prayer ~ praying friends ~ blogland and blog friends ~

Cove Snow Storm

My square hay is kept in the barn loft which is accessible from three different doors, all of which are kept locked. When we first moved here nothing was locked up but times are hard and these are different days; now, everything is kept under lock and key. Here, I'm standing in the loft, staring down into the tack room where I keep cracked corn, sweet feed, cat food and other animal essentials.

I'm standing in the loft door facing the front of the barn, where I back the Polaris Ranger into place so I can load hay. Today I loaded eight square bales...yeah, yeah, I can see they are truly rectangle but farmers call them square bales...which weigh between 65 and 75 pounds each. My neck and shoulder muscles are crying like babies and as soon as evening chores are over, I'm headed to a deep tub of HOT water.
This is the hay loft; ain't it just BEEYOUTIFUL!? I truly adore barns and think we've got one of the prettiest I've ever seen. It was built prior to the War of Northern Aggression, has a limestone foundation and is built with pegs and handmade nails.
Our road, Cove Road, probably, won't be cleared today as we're a secondary road and only three families live here full time. There are a couple of other houses but they are empty. Cove Road is also a dead end road and the road into which Cove Road empties is called Maiden Springs Road which is incorrect as there's only one spring but try telling that to the folks who named it. They named it incorrectly and, now, won't change it because "it's too much trouble". It's also Route 91, the only dirt primary road in the Commonwealth of VA. Strong men have been known to weep and saintly women to curse upon driving Rt. 91 across the mountain. There aren't any guardrails and a fair number of S turns, U turns, switchbacks and sheer drops into mountain air. Generally, we have a tractor trailer, or three, try and go across the mountain...even though the signs say, "NO tractor trailers" because, "the map says it's a primary road." I don't believe even one tractor trailer has made it around the first S curve; usually, they go over the side of the mountain and then tie up "traffic" all day. Hey! We call tractors traffic, don't you?
This is silage which is corn and corn stalks that have been cut in the summer heat, churned up into a "mash" and then piled into keeping areas. It ferments and, eventually, smells a bit like sour mash which I think smells good. A lot of non-farming types, including Dave, think it stinks. The birds won't visit my bird feeder in the winter because they'd rather eat silage. They swoop around, alight on the fence, fly down into the silage...it's fun watching them do their aerials.
Abigail and I headed down Cove Road today because we wanted to enjoy the beautiful day and I wanted to take some photos. Our nearest Cove Road neighbor, about two miles down the road, has one of the largest sheep flocks in the Commonwealth. The sheep had worked a gate loose and were in the road, eating spilled silage. I love the old barn, what character!
This constitutes a traffic jam. I waited until this car passed and then I parked my Polaris Ranger and managed to get the sheep back into their pasture. It's just being a good neighbor and Clinton has done similar for me. He knows my flock is ancient and, sometimes, he'll see a sheep that's cast...meaning, the sheep is lying down and can't get to its feet...and Clinton will climb my fence to right the sheep. I went to Clinton's house and told him what I'd done. I also wanted to check on his Mama, she's been ailing but is coming home today. I know she'll be happy to sleep in her own bed tonight!
This is John and he's feeding out silage to his cattle. He's the brother to Dr. Anne, our vet, and such a good young man. He and his wife have a beautiful baby boy...he's the little boy I made the John Deere tractor quilt for...and I love catching up with the news in their lives. John's wife, Miss A., works for Dr. Anne so we're accustomed to telling one family member something to pass along to another family member. We all live in a very small valley so it pays to establish good ties with each other; we all depend upon each other, one way or another.
This is Trouble, doing what she does best...eating. She'll stand and chew hay, apparently delighted with herself, thinking she's doing something wonderful. My sheep tickle me.
And, Carly, pretending she's a camel. Carly is one of the matriarchs of the flock and loves to come when I call her. She knows there's generally a small treat of cracked or whole corn, a cookie or some other goodie.
My Polaris Ranger, aka my Man Magnet. This is The Most Fabulous Utility Terrain Vehicle EVER! It starts, it goes, it has four wheel drive, independent suspension on every tire, a load leveling capability, will go far faster than I'll ever need to, will carry +1,000 pounds, will pull about the same and looks like a Moon Buggy. Every time I drive this thing, meaning every day, some guy will stop me and talk about what a great vehicle it is. I told John this morning, "this Ranger is my Man Magnet. You know how guys drive cars that are chick magnets? Well, this Polaris Ranger is a Man Magnet." I think he was as amused hearing about it as I was in the telling.

Hey Polaris --- THANKS for making the Ranger; it makes my farming life a whole lot easier!
Buster Brown getting his morning feed of cracked corn. He wouldn't drink any warm water this morning and I think he's getting closer to saying good-bye. He's had a great life, has been petted and loved on more than a lot of people...sad commentary on how we humans treat each other...but I think he'll be ready to cross over and be with our other beloved animals. Look at that Roman nose, how very Romney!
The driveway had drifts of three feet, perhaps more. It was an interesting morning, walking down to the barn.

The snowstorm is a humdigger...about ten inches on the ground and more coming down, hard and fast. Thank God we didn't have the wind chill we were expecting...weather folks were calling for somewhere around fifteen below zero F and that's enough to suck the life right out of my lungs!

It took a while to do chores this morning because the snow drifts are anywhere from two to three feet deep. Abigail looked like a deer as she was pronging from drift to drift. I made her wear her Army green sweater, which she hates, but it keeps her warm. She's at an age...aren't we all?...that she needs to retain as much body heat as possible, stay as warm as possible but still have a good time doing it. She acts like she think she looks goofy and doesn't seem to care that I look even goofier in my Goofy hat, sweatpants and five layers of clothing. I'm warm and don't really care what I look like and neither do the animals...they just care the hay is coming at a fast and furious pace.

I adore tending to my animals, taking care of this farm. It's a blessing to have the strength to do the work God has set before me and I'm so very grateful.

Blessings ~ strength ~ Polaris Ranger ~ Buster Brown ~ Abigail ~ Carly ~ Trouble ~ neighbors ~ snow ~ our valley ~

Count Your Blessings...

Remember the refrain of the old hymn 'Count Your Blessings'? I love that song..."count your many blessings, name them one by one. Count your many blessings, see what God has done. Count your blessings, name them one by one. Count your many blessings, see what God has done!"

On those rare, dark nights when I have trouble sleeping, one of the ways I "amuse" myself is by counting my blessings. I've never gotten to the end of my blessings before I'm asleep and doubt if I ever will. God has blessed us, most of us, way more than we deserve but it does pay to remind ourselves of that as often as possible.

One of the greatest blessings God has given both Dave and I is Thistle Cove Farm. We absolutely love living here and I love tending to my animals even when that means I'm slogging my way through snow, sleet, ice, frigid wind sucking cold or the heat and humidity of summer. It just doesn't matter because all I have to do it Look Up and am blessed by the beauty that surrounds this little farm.

The above photograph is of our walnut tree and I love the way its branches are outlined against the skyline. This walnut tree gives nuts for cracking and nuts for dyeing. I love dyeing my own yarn and head to the mountains in the spring to get dyestuffs. For walnuts, though, I only have to go as far as my back pasture.

HayJude, aka HayJ, my American Curly x Percheron black and white gelding is below and yes, he is as big as he appears! He's always been a gentle giant and ever since being cut last month, he's even gentler. He's a magnificent animal, as proud and regal as his sire's mustang genes demand. HayJ is third generation domesticated; his greatsire was taken from the Wild West range during a mustang round-up but there's no disguising those genes, no matter how much Percheron blood now runs through his veins. To my knowledge, there are only two of these animals in the world, HayJ and his full brother Confederate Coal, aka CC, although I don't know where CC now lives. CC has always belonged to someone else and those people are true livestock owners; they buy and sell at the drop of a dollar. That's okay and works for them but it gives me the shudders.

My "three old gentlemen sheep" are below, in the barn, where they now reside. They have access to an outside lot and require daily care. I've got to go to town today, they need cracked corn and I've other errands to run. These fellows, Zacheous, Buster Brown and Thomas, are so old, they are somewhere around 14 to 15, or older and are toddery and frail. They enjoy their lives though and enjoy being spoiled...or, better to say, more spoiled than the rest of the flock, and they eat heartily. As long as they love their food, they will breathe. The only reason I put an animal down is they are in pain; for me, there's no other reason. And, my critters NEVER, EVER have to worry about going to the market.

Recently, someone asked me if I would sell some sheep for a museum but upon questioning, I found out the museum had taken their small flock to the market last year. Why? There were no people living at the museum over the winter, thus no one to tend to the sheep. YIKES! Why on earth didn't those museum folks think about that before getting animals. Yes, animals. They not only had sheep, they had chickens and now want to get a donkey. All that to say, my answer was NO WAY you're getting any of my animals. Different folks have different ways of being a good steward and this is my/our way. We tend to our own, we take care of our own. So, back to counting my blessings. This is extremely important during times of stress. Like Saturday when I found yet another leak in our hot water heating pipes. Fortunately, the leak was in a section of the house that had already seen damage from the freeze, burst, leak last month. That section of dining room ceiling already needs to be replaced as do three of the dining room walls, the parlor, the hallway and, at this time God alone knows what else. In times of distress, Count Your Blessings! That and prayer are the only things that will pull you through.

Blessings ~ Thistle Cove Farm ~ this blog that allows me to share my blessings ~ my animals ~ warmer weather ~ my many, many blessings...Thank You, Lord ~

A Fine Fleece Winner!

We have a winner...but first, the disclaimers. We don't go for that high tech, fancy pants method of picking a winner. Nope, with us, it's simple and easy peasy as pie. I merely wrote the names on pieces of paper, tore them into, approximately, the same size and dropped them into a plastic bag. Dave had the pleasure of pulling a name out of the bag, so to speak.

A Fine Fleece was won by a Ravlery sister as well as one across the mountains...Iris. There were about fourteen folks who wanted to win so the chances were a whale of a lot better than any lottery I've ever seen. For those who didn't win, there will be other opportunities as I'm downsizing my library and will, about once a month, give away a book or books.

Hey Iris...I'm sorely tempted to say, come pick up your book the next time you come across the mountain but a deals a deal so I'll drop it in the mail this week. -smile-

The rest of y'll, stay tuned for more chances to win.

Blessings ~ books to give away ~ folks who enjoy books ~ yarn ~ knitting ~ rain ~ winning ~

Sheep Is Life

There's some sort of epizootics going around and, lucky me, I picked it up. I've been flat on my back and the days have, totally, run together. Today is the first day I've been at the computer in a week, maybe longer, and I'm still weaker than the new kittens playing in the barn loft.

The 12th annual Sheep is Life Celebration is in a few weeks but, alas, I can visit only via i-net. It's one of my dreams to visit this celebration, held at the Greyhills Academy Campus on the Navajo Nation in Tuba City, AZ. It's presented by Diné be’ iiná, Inc., a nonprofit organization and workshops, hands-on demos, vendors, rug auction and sheep and wool show round out the festivities.

Sometimes I think we should have our own sheep is life celebration in the southern Appalachians. Sheep have provided meat and fleece in these old mountains since they were brought over from Scotland, Ireland, Wales and England. In days past, sheep gut was used to make condoms and violin strings but was, erroneously, called cat gut. Clinton, neighbor and shearer, has one of the largest sheep flocks in the Commonwealth of VA; probably east of the Mississippi for that matter. He runs about six hundred ewes and lambs in the spring and less than that as he sells to market. He also runs a few goats as there's a large ethnic market for goat meat. Somehow I doubt any of his sheep or goats have names and he looks askance when I say, "oh, that's Sophie you've just finished shearing."

But, differences are what makes us alike and it takes all of us to make the world go 'round. It's only in western, "civilized" countries that we name, tame and keep our animals as pets; in other parts of the world those same animals are knows as "supper". I tell Dave we can't save them all so we save the ones we can.

Did I mention he's gone over the mountan to feed a stray dog? He's been trying to gentle this dog for a week, ever since I've been sick, and feeding it twice a day. Dave thinks she, the dog, would respond to a female voice and as soon as I'm able, I'll ride across the mountain with him. We don't need another dog, our dog girls are in double digit numbers now but Dave says this stray is beautiful and has tugged at his heart. What the hey. We'll do like we do at supper and put another potatoe in the pot. There's always room at the table for a hungry belly.

St. Francis of Assissi would be proud.

Blessings ~ spring ~ well health, coming again soon, hopefully ~ the i-net, keeping us connected ~ good books ~ zinneas ~ animals on the bed, keeping me company as I heal ~