Phoebe

~ Phoebe ~

We have a new family member; her name is Phoebe and she's about eight months old. A number of years ago, Dave made me promise I wouldn't pick up any strays on the road. Which is pretty difficult to promise and almost imposible not to do. I wish people could be horsewhipped in public for dropping animals on the road and I absolutely *hate* cleaning someone else's mess. I've heard it all...I'm giving the animal a second chance. Maybe someone else will give it a home. The animal shelter is too depressing.

Yeah. Right. What it amounts to, people, is you're too sorry to do the right thing by the animal. Take it to the shelter where, yes, it might be killed, put down, destroyed or even, GASP! adopted. But At The Very Least it will die a decent death. It won't be torn to pieces by a pack of wild dogs or coyotes. It won't die, slowly, twisting in agony because it ingested poison. It won't die, slowly, painfully because it was hit by a car and unable to find a morsel of food. It won't die, slowly, in anguish because it got caught in a snare and died, in a few days or weeks, of thirst or starvation.

PEOPLE...DO THE RIGHT THING!

The people who need to read the above are out dropping off dogs; not reading my blog so the rest of you, please forgive the rant.

Phoebe. What a beautiful little girl. She looks a lot like Shaddie, our Ridgeback, but, I don't think, is going to be quite as big. That's a good thing as Shaddie weighs around 110 pounds. Some evil person, perhaps the same one who flung her out on the road, also mistreated her. It took a week of twice daily feedings to gentle her even though her personality said, "I want to be loved, I'm a good dog and want to trust you."

Even when we brought her home, Sunday night, she was cowed and shying away. It took a lot of gentle, slow moving around her; lots of treats, hugs and kisses to bring her around. There's been a small altercation between Poebe and Abigail but that was over a dog bone. Abbie has always been, and will always be, top dog around here and, while she shares, she, sometimes, does so grudingly. Anyway, Abbie snuck around and stole Phoebe's bone and the next thing I knew, the fight was on. Teeth were bared, snarles exchanged but no one used their teeth to bite. Thank God. It was a show of strength and wills and I'm keeping a close eye on both until Phoebe has settled in. That should take a month or so for me to think things are working out.

Yes, I did get out of my sick bed to go with Dave across the mountain. He decided we were going to bring this girl home and wanted me to help. How could I possibly say "no"?

See how much Phoebe resembles Shaddie?

~ Shaddie ~

~ Gracie, foreground; Hattie Cat, background; 91 on lower portion of grill and Boscoe Man on grill lid. This is the grill I use for dyeing my wool and is used as a cat perch the rest of the time. By the way, 91 received her name when I found her, twelve years ago, sitting by the side of Rt. 91. She was a tiny, tiny kitten and was snatched out of a, potentially, deadly situation to come to Thistle Cove Farm.
~ Abigail ~

Blessings - a happy household ~ sunshiney day ~ last night's rain ~ a great life ~ delicious, sweet well water ~ good health, once again ~

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 ~

Blackberry Winter

We're home and had a great time on our cruise although fifteen days on a ship, any ship, is worthy of a medal. My hat is off to those Navy boys and girls, men and women...my heartfelt thanks to each and every one. To all of our military and to family members who are serving near and far...thank you!

A cruise is the absolute best way, probably the least expensive way as well, to see so many countries, cities and countrysides in such a short period of time. We went trans-Atlantic then visited the Azores Islands and Lisbon, Portugal; Cadiz, Andalucia, Malaga, Barcelona, Spain; Corsica, France; Civitavecchia, Tarquinia, Livorno, Pisa and Florence, Italy; Villefranche, Nice, Ese, France and Monte Carlo, Monoco. A great trip, wonderful memories and time well spent...just Dave and I. Well, okay. So there were a few thousand other people on the ship but Dave and I took advantage of every opportunity.

I managed to, almost, finish needlepointing a pair of pillow cases. As soon as I've washed, dried and ironed them photos will be posted. I've got a good early start on Christmas gifts.

We came home to Blackberry Winter and low temps, cold rains, high winds. We've all been wearing sweaters and hats and, some days, jackets to ward off the chill. Blackberry Winter is the reverse of Indian Summer. It's that season in spring, after a warm spell, when blackberry vines are blooming, that the temps revert to winter. Frost is a possibility, although we've not had frost this spring, but cold weather, along with high winds and rain can always be counted upon. We awoke to warmer temps today and the sun is shining; animals are lazing around and birds clustered at the feeder. After almost two weeks of cold, wind, rain...life is, suddenly, brighter, more cheerful and full of expectation.

Unfortunately, Blackberry Winter, usually, kills my tulips and other early blooming beauties but that only means summer is closer than it was and soon we'll be thinking about cutting hay.

Life is darn near perfect!

Blessings ~ time with Dave ~ peace on the farm while we were gone ~ Spring ~ Blackberry Winter ~ Summer ~ gardens ~

Sheep Shearing Day April 12, 2008

As much as I hate DST, the days aren't nearly long enough to allow all the work needed to get ready for Sheep Shearing Day. The barn and farm office need to be cleaned out and the barn lot spruced up. Cove Road needs to be trimmed so folks can park alongside the road on either side of the driveway. Older folks and the press may park in the driveway but there's simply not enough room to allow everyone driveway parking. Of course, Clinton, our shearer, drives right up to the barn so he can unload/load his equipment easily.

Clinton is coming around 9 a.m. or after he makes sure his new lambs are on the ground, on their feet. I've got to check with my catcher tomorrow to make sure he's available to catch and hand the sheep off to Clinton.

Clinton has, approximately, 600 lambs on the ground and a few are orphans or too many lambs for the ewe to feed. Some have to be bottle fed, like this little one.

Today was spent cleaning out the farm office where the Cove Community Center will sell refreshments and lunch. All goodies are home cooked and include brownies, "the real deal" pound cake and other things that escape my memory. There may very well be farm fresh eggs for sale as well.

Tomorrow I clean out the barn where the sheep will be placed on Friday and be left until they are sheared Saturday morning. Placing the sheep in the barn overnight ensures the lanolin will rise, making their fleeces easier and more quickly shorn.

This lovely sheep is a Romney and

Shetland cross and the fleece combines the best of both breeds. The fleece is long stapled, perhaps six to seven inches, with a nice, tight crimp and a lovely lustre. All fleeces are, virtually, free of veggie matter and are well skirted.

Lost Arts Guild members will demonstrate and sell traditional Appalachian crafts. Members include:

~Charlie Butcher with his beautiful, hand crafted four-string mountain dulcimers. If you ask politely...he'll even play a tune and, perhaps, his children will play their fiddles.

~Larry Counts makes brooms - sweeping brooms, whisk brooms for both car and clothes and a delightful little "broom" that's used to test cakes. A piece is broken off and inserted into a cake or brownie or whatever...to determine if it's finished baking. Neat idea!

~Bud Thompson will pound out courtn' candles and other goodies on his forge. He tells some great stories as well.

~Mary Martin will help with skirting fleeces and will also demonstrate and sell her lovely hand made baskets.

~Richard Vogel is always a show stopper with his antique wood working tools and he sells the very bench you'll watch him craft.

~Sandra Bennett, that's me, will demonstrate spinning, maybe some dyeing and have some yarn and roving for sell.

Yes, fleeces are sold right off the sheep so all you hand spinners come early to make your selection.

Bring your camera, a good appetite and wear comfortable clothing. It's usually windy and that means a bit of a chill in the air so a sweater or jacket is nice also. Comfortable shoes and service dogs only, please. This is a working farm and my critters tend to freak over "strange to them" dogs.

And, my "double nickel" birthday is Friday but I'll have to celebrate another time. There's simply too much to do in a too short a time frame to add a birthday celebration in the mix. I'm just thankful to God to see another birthday!

Sheep Shearing Day is an opporturnity to share my love of "all things Appalachian" and to celebrate Appalachian heritage and culture. Seems NPR's Fred Eckles is interested in Sheep Shearing Day as well and is scheduled to interview me on Friday, April 11th, for All Things Considered. It's a good time to be an Appalachian American!

Blessings ~ sheep to shear ~ clean barns and farm office ~ Lost Arts Guild members who share the vision ~ a shearer who knows his stuff ~ another beautiful and perfect day at Thistle Cove Farm ~ strength to do the work God has set before me ~

Spring Flowers, Snow & Apple Pies

March came in like a lamb but has behaved like a lion. We've had sunny days of 50 degree weather, snowy days of 25 degree weather and wind chills to bring those temps down to low teens. Last Saturday it snowed, then melted, snowed, then melted all day long. If it had snowed continuously, we would have had five inches of snow. As it was, drifts were more than a foot deep and made for slippery driving on our way home from Bristol.

Dave and I had cabin fever so drove the seventy-five minutes to Bristol where brand new stores are located. Our favorites too! Books a Million, TJ Maxx, Best Buy and several restaurants. We're used to driving to Johnson City, TN, a drive of more than two hours, when we needed to break our cabin fever. Bristol is much, much closer and, almost, just as much fun.

I made two apple and blueberry pies; we ate one and gave the other to Jim Conrad from WCYB TV. It's the Fox affiliate in Bristol and he was here Friday past to do a story on the farm. Jim is a great guy and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves even though the weather had decided to turn back to winter. It was 40'ish, rain/sleet and maybe a bit of snow but animals still have to be fed and chores completed. Jim said he works in all kinds of weather so, for the morning, we made a good team.

Flowers are peeking up from Mother Earth even though Father Time says spring is still a week away. I want to run out and protect the little darlings but they seem to be managing quite well without me. A honey bee has braved March to get an early start on honey making.

Seed catalogues are arriving and I've already bought some sunflower seeds. I want to start them in early April and will use egg cartons that will be transplanted directly into the ground and will decompose as the seeds grow.

Sheep Shearing Day is 12 April. I visited Clinton yesterday to order some sheep minerals and ask him to shear for me. He's knee deep in lambs, I believe the count is upwards of 300 thus far. I'm going today to help him bottle feed the orphans; I've got severe lamb fever.

If you're in the area, make plans to visit us on Sheep Shearing Day. This working day on the farm is open and free to the public. Lost Arts Guilds members will demonstrate and sell traditional Appalachian crafts. We always have a great day; be sure and wear comfortable, warm clothing and footwear. Bring a camera and bag lunch, this is a great family day at Thistle Cove Farm.

Blessings ~ rain ~ snow ~ sunny weather ~ pies ~ spring flowers ~ the hope of spring ~

Bush Hog - Part III

Dealership Guy is here, putting on new choke cable and doing some other things to make the UTV operational, all day, every day. Dealership Guy has always been available to either do things right or make things right. Corporate might learn a few things from Dealership Guy should they ever decide to have a chin wag with him.

Dave tells me I should not have mentioned the Hog showing up dirty. The only reason it was mentioned, being wet had a direct relationship on the choke cable freezing and thus not working. It was one of those things that was just unavoidable but made its presence known when weather was freezing, or below, and the Hog wouldn't start. It certainly wasn't meant as a bad note and I apologize.

There are still a few things to finish but nothing that affects the starting or running of the new Bush Hog UTV. It shows every promise of being the piece of equipment we hoped it to be when we were researching new UTV's and should, hopefully, last us many years. We intend it to be the last UTV we ever purchase for the farm.

Bush Hog Tough - it can now be said with confidence! Thanks, Dealership Guy!

Daddy and Mother taught us to take good care of our equipment, to keep the oil changed, the body washed of dirt, mud and other debris that mean rust, wipe down the soft sides and roof and all those other things that go into care and upkeep. All those things mean long life for equipment.

Today is a beautiful day and most of it will be spent outside. The fence line needs to be checked, debris from the last storm picked up, bird feeders checked, minerals put out for animals and a few other chores. If I have time, I'll drag the alfalfa pasture so the horse manure is dispersed over the field. That acts as fertilizer and helps ensure a better crop of hay this year. We're still low on our water table, I thought we were caught up, but a neighbor tells me we're still very low. My prayer is for at least two cuttings of hay this year, hopefully three. We had to buy hay last year and that, severely, cut into finances.

We also need to pick up a few pieces of electronic equipment, some batterys, a new mouse and the like. That's a job for dusk or later when it's too dark to work outside. It's daylight savings time and I really don't like DST; it takes me a while to adjust and throws my rythm off. I wish ole Ben Franklin could have just left well enough alone. It's fairely obvious a non-farmer/rancher came up with the idea of DST. Most farmers/ranchers tell me they don't care for DST either but I've run into some who love it. I wonder what the difference is...?

Blessings ~ Dealership Guy ~ sunny day ~ good night's sleep ~ an operation...in all weather, day or night, Bush Hog UTV ~ EST...eventually ~

Bush Hog - Reliably Unreliable

On every farm there are pieces of equipment that are useful to the farm operation. For the past four years one such piece of equipment has been a "Workhorse" that is, basically, a "sexy little golf cart" as the farrier put it. Regardless, it was a great tool and made feeding the animals much easier as the Workhorse could carry those 65 and 70 pound bales of hay. Prior to the Workhorse, I was toting those bales of hay to three separate pastures...one for mares and gelding, one for stud and one for sheep. Having a "ride" for the hay made my job lots easier. In the summer, it's much easier to check and fix fence lines with all tools being at hand as opposed to carrying them on several trips.

So. After considerable research, we decided to trade in our Workhorse on a Bush Hog. The Bush Hog has many features the Workhorse doesn't...4-wheel drive, larger bed, independent suspension, higher clearance. We also decided to get soft sides which cut the tremendous winds that assail the farm. This makes a incredible difference during wind chills that are below zero or greater. It gives me a place to escape the wind and allows me to safely, comfortably check my fence lines and assess if more large round hale bales are needed in the outlaying pastures.

We placed our order the Saturday before Christmas, December 22 and then the wait began. Finally, more than nine weeks later, on 26 February, the Bush Hog was delivered to our farm. But, this was only after dozens of phone calls, many “broken promises” ~the P.C. way of saying what my Mama used to call "lies"~ and a Very Long Wait During Freezing Cold Winter Weather. The local dealership was truly embarrassed over the way Bush Hog headquarters treated us. Corporate headquarters kept making excuses, kept making promises; kept saying one thing then doing...Absolutely Nothing. They kept talking about Customer Service - the New Oxymoron of the 21st century. It seems Customer Service...NOT! is the only thing most, all...?, corporations have in common anymore.

The local dealership brought our Hog on Tuesday which was a rainy, cold, freezing day with many, many mud holes, ditch lines filled with water, etc. From the looks of the Hog, not one of those ditch lines or mud holes escaped the honking big truck tires and the Hog was covered in muddy water. Somehow it didn't look so new but seemed rather like the old saying "rode hard and put away wet". It was off loaded, we were given the "here's the light switch, here's the choke, etc." tour and we took it for a drive. Hog Heaven! It was great and the soft sides almost made it too warm with temps in the upper 40's.

Fast forward to Wednesday morning and chore time. I'm up early and excitedly head to the barn, my chores and my new Hog. I pull the choke. Nothing. Nada. Zero. Zilch. I push the choke. Again, nothing, nada, zero, zilch. Sama, sama. Bad words begin floating around the edges of my consciousness. I use my walkie-talkie to call Dave and ask him to call the dealership. He does as I begin hand carrying bales of hay in this 17 degrees F above zero, wind chill below zero spitting rain/sleet/snow weather. Bad word vibes are getting stronger. Dave walkie-talkies me back and says Dealership Guy says, “pull out the choke”. I tell Dave that's been tried and found wanting. Dealership Guy says “sounds like choke is frozen”. I say, "so get down here and fix it, please." He says, “on my way” and ninety minutes later is working on the problem.

~ next entry, please, as this is an almost 2,000 word saga. ~

Blessings ~ strength to carry 65 to 76 pound bales of hay ~ strength to break frozen water in horse and sheep troughs ~ enough clothes to, reasonably, stay warm ~ hot coffee, tea and chocolate ~ no guff from the Dealership Guy ~

Bush Hog - Reliably Unreliable, Part II

Fast forward to...Dealership Guy didn't bring any tools and must return to the shop but will come back this afternoon. My smile feels frozen and I'm not sure if it's because I'm trying to remain calm or because I've been in the cold for close to four hours now. I head to the house to thaw and Dealership Guy heads to his shop; he returns later that afternoon with loads of tools and we determine

*choke is frozen due to being driven through many mud holes resulting in splash on the engine - choke must be partially left out so it can be 'mashed' down to break the ice so it can be pulled out to start the engine. I say, "fine but I'm not willing to do that; Fix The Choke". Okay, schedule a replacement choke.
*vapor lock in the fuel line - too much line means a crimp which needs to be cut off and reattached.
*heater not linked directly to the key so heater must be separately turned on and off or it will drain battery. This is So Not Very Good so please fix.

There are other "issues" but those are the ones that mean the Hog does, or doesn't, operate. If it were a piece of exercise equipment, it would now be laden with clothes and used as additional clothes hanging space.

Dealership Guy is a very nice guy who is doing a great job and is about as frustrated as I. Between the two of us, we manage to get the Hog started and running and Dealership Guy helps me with evening farm chores. I think this is because of two reasons – he’s embarrassed because our Brand New Hog appears to be a lemon and he wants to stay with the Hog until he’s sure it’s working. Eventually, he heads back to the shop and I head to the house, both of us happy which turns out to be shear ignorance of What Lies Ahead.

The next morning, not even twenty-four hours after delivery, I’m in the barn, pushing in on the Hog’s choke which was left open. This works to break the ice and choke can now be pulled out/pushed in and engine turns over and starts. HURRAH! I am SO HAPPY…again, as it turns out, ignorantly happy because I do not know What Lies Ahead. I finish chores and head to the house and call Dealership Guy to say, “Thanks! The Hog worked well this morning…meaning it started…and my chores were accomplished in relatively warmth and ease”. He’s happy, I’m happy and everyone knows when Mama’s happy, everybody is happy. Right?

In the afternoon, I head to the barn, go through my Little Choke Ritual; turn on the key and ratta tat tat tat tat tat .

WHAT THE?????

Dead Battery.

Dealership Guy gets another call. Yep, dead battery and it will be fixed before dark. I manage a smaller hurrah as my enthusiasm is waning.

The week prior to delivery, Dave called Bush Hog Corporate Headquarters in Selma, Alabama and spoke with a “Customer Service Representative” ~and I use the words loosely~ several times. Miss K. promises this, swears that, tells of many trials, tribulations and woes on her part but…Bush Hog Will Make It Right! Miss K. promises to relay messages to Management and, eventually, a VP calls. She and he must have the same script because he, essentially, promises the same… Bush Hog Will Make It Right! Ummm, that was about three weeks ago and we’ve heard nothing since.

Yeah, Yeah. I am So Not Believing This anymore. I’m beginning to doubt my “Buy American” attitude and am thinking if I can understand someone’s accent when they lie, does that make it better or worse than when I can’t understand their accent?

Okay. Less than two weeks of having this Brand New Reliably Unreliable Bush Hog and

*Bush Hog Corporate Vice President still hasn’t called us back
*Bush Hog parts are still “somewhere” in their system but Most Certainly Not On my Bush Hog
*Bush Hog still isn’t starting because choke still freezes in cold weather.

Yeah. You heard me right. Said Bush Hog is setting in the barn with choke frozen solid because I didn’t leave it halfway out yesterday morning. I forgot. So, I suppose that makes it my fault and not Bush Hog’s fault, eh?

So. Bush Hog Corporate Headquarters: If you’re reading this, come get this blasted piece of equipment and FIX IT. I don’t want it until it runs in ALL weather! Bring me a replacement. Heck. Bring back the Workhorse, at least it started No Matter What the Weather. Cold, windy, wet, snowy…the Workhorse started. Yeah. The “sexy little golf cart” started in All Manner of Weather, all day, every day. 365/24/7. The Workhorse Started.

“Bush Hog Tough” my rosy red derriere. Bush Hog Pansy is more like it.

Blessings ~ it's warmed to above freezing so maybe, just maybe the choke has unfrozen ~ we've had much moisture which helps our ground water level ~ the sun is shining ~ dry boots ~ sun glasses

Book Snippets

Tanya Dennis wrote about 'book snippets' on her blog so I decided to play along. It's interesting, you

1. Pick up the nearest book (of at least 123 pages), or whatever book you are currently reading.
2. Open the book to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the next three sentences.
5. Tag five people.

If you're reading this, please, consider yourself tagged. One of my current books is Latitude & the Magnetic Earth by Stephen Pumfrey. It's "The True Story of Queen Elizabeth's Most Distinguished Man of Science" and, a trifle wieldy to plow through, ultimately it's quite interesting.

Here are the three sentences:

"Gilbert did not actually think that two magnets made love, but he was convinced that their motions were governed by principles of mutual harmony.

Magnetism moved the whole Earth in harmony with its fellow planets and made sure that lodestones were in peaceful union with the Earth and with each other. Aquinas' scholastic explanation of magnetic 'attractio' had a dominating agent seizing and altering a 'patient' magnet before dragging it away."

Blessings ~ reading for enjoyment, these days, and not because it's assigned ~ Lions Auction tomorrow ~ rain today ~ more fabric for quilting ~ the start and almost finish of a baby hat for a new member of the community ~ the enjoyment of going to bed...early! ~

Daily Diary

One of my writing groups wanted members to write about their day and that got me to thinking. There's no such thing as a "typical" day here at Thistle Cove Farm and today was no exception. The writer's group wants posts limited to 250 words so that meant a LOT of stuff was left out of my "daily diary".

For example, I spent about forty minutes talking to a farmer wannabe who wants to raise Shetland sheep, chickens...essentially he wants to have a small homestead. He seems a nice guy and doesn't mind getting his hands dirty which is necessary in farming. There's a lot of dirty grunt work in farming but, like Dolly said, if you want to see the rainbow, you have to feel the rain. Or words to that effect.

Truth be told, there's a lot of my day that's eaten up in such small increments when strangers call me, wanting information or help. I try to give them a bit of each but there's only so much of me to go around and every time I stop my work, there's no one to help me. So I get further and further behind but when I don't help, there have been some curse me for being "uncaring, unfriendly, etc.". I told one man I'd be happy to send him my rates and his reply was, "Why should I pay you when I can call my extension agent for free?" I figured it was churlish to point out he did, in fact, call me.

Anyhoo...here's my daily dairy as submitted to my writing group.

The day started around 6:30 a.m. ~
*fed dogs/cats, listened to XM preachers
*fought w/my 94 year old MIL to dress, wash hands
*made ham biscuits, coffee for humans
*barn chores - fed horses, sheep, barn cats, checked water & fence lines
*set out minerals/salt
*got out tractor, went to hay lot, retrieved & set out a round bale for stallion
*came back to house, checked on humans, started yeast bread and soup
*checked e-mail, tended to farm & public relations business
*baked bread, shortbread, finished soup; prepared lunch for humans

Afternoon/Evening ~
*took neighbors some bread, shortbread, soup
*worked in studio - art projects completed, ready to be mailed; used
laptop to write a devotional
*started snowing so checked on horses/sheep
*at house, started supper for humans, dogs & cats; made cookies for Dave
*Abbie, the Jack Russell, got into a skunk fight so bathed her, several times *re-thought my devotional along lines of dog, skunk, sin, washing, etc.
*back to fixing supper then got phone call, acquaintance killed himself
(financial/health problems - please pray for the family)
*fought w/MIL to wash hands for supper; everyone ate...finally.
*called a friend to start a prayer chain, find out in the past few days there
have been six suicides in Tazewell
*put phone on no-ring /if it's that bad, the state police will come to my door - ask me how I know/ took some aspirin and headed to bed
*gave the day to God, it's been too much for me, again

Blessings ~ God, bless His holy name ~ praying friends ~ the strength to do the word He has set before me ~ good food and plenty of it ~ this farm, my animals and Dave...without whom I'd lose some focus ~

One World One Heart Fabric/Textile Postcard

Go Figure.

Blogger will now allow me to post a photo of the textile/fabric postcard I'm sending Teresa. Hope you like it Miss T!

One World One Heart Winners!

And a whopping big Happy Valentine's Day to YOU! Well. All Right. Actually, today is Monday, 18 February but on the rightful V-Day, we had a power outage and everything came to an immediate halt. So, I figure anytime a gift is involved, the timing is just right, eh?

Dave picked the winning numbers and they are...TA DAH!

Teresa, Moon Valley Quilter blog, won my textile/fabric postcard. The following "ingredients" were used: felt, metal snowflakes and stars, felt flowers and bird, rickrack and glass beads. The word "hope", on the bird, is something from scrap book materials and "God Bless You" is cut from vellum.

And...there should be a photo of the textile/fabric postcard...Right Here!
Except. Blogger. Will. NOT. Allow. Said. Photo. To Up/Down. Load.

GRRRRRRRRRRR......

Maybe tomorrow. One can only hope.

Ahem. To continue.

The winner of the bookmark, below, is Diana of Adventuring Through Life. Here at Thistle Cove Farm, I raise Shetland, Romney, Merino and crossbred sheep as well as hypoallergenic American Curly horses. The little sheep on this bookmark are fussy cut from flannel material while metal snowflakes and cross, glass beads, plastic heart, the word "JOY", felt flowers and vintage lace are also used. The farm name, Thistle Cove Farm, is sewn on with metal "thread", using plastic and glass beads.
I'm in process of contacting both women but if Blogger is still true to form, so to speak, that won't happen. For whatever reason, it's still "no go" when I try to leave comments on the blogs of others.

The One World One Heart give-aways have been great fun. Best of all, I've visited so many terrific blogs, saw so much wonderful art and craft work and, in general, had a blast net-visiting all over the world. Even more fun has been spreading a bit of warmth in this all too frosty world and I even won from Pamela and Bannas World, and Lilla. Banna, "the 7 year old boss", made a fabulous box that reminds me of the wonderful times when Dave and I lived on the island of Maui. Banna, you are Very Talented and I'm proud and happy to be "your winner"; thank you very much! We're expecting snow tonight so looking at your box brings much warmth and fun thoughts.

Pamela, at Quilts 'n More, said I won a fabric/textile postcard and she's finishing it now so she can drop it in the post.

Lilla, of Just Lilla, said I won some vintage trim which I'll use in textile and fabric postcards. I've just "stumbled upon" textile and fabric postcards and am making them like someone is buying them. What FUN and what a nice little bit of sunshine and happy thoughts when a friend receives one in the morning mail. I've said it before but it bears saying again, this is an all too frosty world and anytime we can spread a bit of cheer, it makes us all the richer.

Teresa and Diana...I'm trying to send you both a comment to let you know you've won on my blog!

Blessings ~ Lisa of One World One Heart ~ Teresa ~ Diana ~ Banna ~ Lilla ~ Pamela ~ and all the rest of the wonderful participants ~ God Bless Us Everyone! ~

Blogger Woes

YIKES! For several days I've been having trouble traversing Blogland. IOW, I simply cannot get to other sites to join in the One World - One Heart agenda. People are coming to my blog by droves but I can't go to theirs. I try to send a message and everything crashes.

Woe, oh woe.

One World - One Heart

Another great idea is Lisa's ONE World-ONE Heart giveaway event to bring world wide bloggers together. Last year the event had almost one hundred participants, every one a winner.

In order to participate you have to give something away, preferably handmade but can be store bought. One World One Heart says the minimum is one gift but you may give more, your choice. In Lisa's words:

"To be a participant in the event all you have to do is offer up something to giveaway. It can be handmade, which is encouraged but not mandatory. You can offer up more than one item so there is more than one winner if you like. The giveaway item(s) are entirely up to you. Once you have determined what your giveaway will be you will must post pictures of whatever it is in a post on your blog. You will then come to this blog and in the comments leave the link to THAT post! NOW THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT: DO NOT leave a link just to your blog....it must be to the actual giveaway post. This enables those going blog to blog to get to it immediately without having to scroll to find it. Also DO NOT leave a link UNTIL that post is up and ready. You need not comment to say "I will be participating" ahead of time. As the giveaway posts are ready and you then leave the link to it here I will add it to the list of participants that will be on the sidebar. You can check as often as you like so you can be sure and visit those on the list throughout the event. ...

THIS YEAR the giveaway date will be Valentines Day - February 14th. On February 1st or as close to that as possible you should post your giveaway. This will give two weeks for people to get to your blog and enter their name. You should end the chance to enter by the evening of the 13th.........there are time differences to consider so keep that in mind. Winners should be announced on your blog on the 14th(or as close to that as possible). I will try to go from blog to blog to see who has announced their winner(s) and will change the color of that blog on the participant list to indicate that. This way when you check the sidebar you will know who has done so. ..."

There are more instructions so please visit Lisa's blog for more information. I'm giving away two gifts - a fabric postcard and bookmark, both handmade with photos posted by tomorrow, Saturday, 2 February.

Lisa, what a grand way to spread a bit of cheer and warmth in this all too frosty world! Kudos to you and many thanks for your great heart!

January has come and gone and about the only thing I've managed to accomplish is taking care of my mother in law. She's moved in with us and at 94+ years old needs total, complete 24/7 care. Even when she's asleep, I sleep fitfully in case she falls out of bed...again. I'm behind on everything - my art and craft work, my paid jobs, my farm work, my life both physically, mental and spiritual. Virtually Everything. But, enough whining, in order to catch up I must start.

I'm taking part in Sharon's Take It Further Challenge and the key concept for January was "the feeling of admiration for another". Although I'm very late in posting, a lot of thought and prep has gone into this project and I determined there were simply too many people...most especially, too many women, to narrow it down to one. So, my art project includes many women in my life, both known personally and those whom I admire from a distance.

With each and every woman, what is to be admired most is they are women after God's own heart. To a one, each is a lover of God and beloved by God who has kept them tenderly close to His heart. Their lives reflect God's love, their acceptance of Christ, His Son and, most importantly, their long and faithful walk of Christian principles.

My work includes both fiber and paper with many emblishments. Centered on the work is an appropriate quote and each woman's name is placed around the quote, throughout the work. I've used some of the colors suggested in the challenge and have included others that have personal meaning; in the next few days, a photo of the piece will be posted on this blog. In the meantime, here's Sharon's information regarding her challenge.

"The key concept for January is a feeling we have all had, the feeling of admiration for another. Ask yourself who do you look up to and admire? Why? What is it you admire about them? This is a the first Take it Further challenge in 2008. Take the idea, develop it into a resolved design during that month and apply it to fiber or paper.As I explained on the Take it Further Challenge page every month there will be two options.

The second option this month is a colour scheme. This means that if you don’t like the concept you can work the colour scheme or if you don’t like the colour scheme you can work with the concept. Or you can work with both.The colour scheme for this month is below. I came up with it by using ColourLovers . If you have not seen this site before and love colour do check it out as there is lots of fun to be had over there."

Blessings ~ the many Christian women God has placed in my path ~ MIL's good physical health ~ the i-net and the delightful folks I've met ~ color ~ the strength to do the work set before me ~ success is getting up...one more time than I fell down ~

Happy 90th Birthday!

Aunt Esther celebrates her 90th birthday this month and she's looking great! Walks without a cane or walker, still drives, still cooks a fabulous meal, goes to church three times a week and Eastern Star twice a month.

The woman is a dynamo and, most importantly, a woman after God's own heart.

Happy Birthday Aunt Esther; may you live to see many more!

Blessings ~ Godly women and men ~ birthdays ~ snow ~ electricity ~ sun shine ~ Aunt Esther

Blog Contest

You've got until 11 January 08 to vote for your favorite blog. Visit
http://2008.bloggies.com/ . There are a LOT of categories!

Happy New Year 2008!

May the worst of 2008 be from the Best of 2007!


Some thoughts to start the new year in a contemplative mind set ~

For our lives

"An inconvenience is only an adventure wrongly considered;an adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered." ~ G. K. Chesterton

"Truth is always exciting. Speak it, then; life is dull without it." ~ Pearl S. Buck

For our world

"As nightfall does not come all at once, neither does oppression. In both instances, there is a twilight when everything remains seemingly unchanged.
And, it is in such twilight that we all must be aware of change in the air,
however slight, lest we become unwitting victims of the darkness." ~ Justice William O. Douglas, U.S. Supreme Court (1939-75)

For our spirit

"Our plans miscarry because they have no aim.When a man does not know what harbor he is making for, no wind is the right wind." ~ Seneca

"Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace; where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; and where there is sadness, joy. O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood, as to understand; to be loved, as to love; for it is in giving that we receive, it is in pardoning that we are pardoned, and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life. Amen." ~ Hildegaard of Bingen

"Hope is the thing with feathers That perches in the soul And sings the tunes without the words And never stops - at all"~ Emily Dickinson


"I am only one; but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something. I will not refuse to do the something I can do."~ Helen Keller

"There are some things you learn best in calm, and some in storm." ~ Willa Cather


"Love is not blind...it sees more, not less. But because it sees more, it is willing to see less." ~ Rabbi Julius Gordon

"All things shall be well You shall see for yourself that All manner of things shall be well
For as the body is clad in the cloth, And the flesh in the skin, And the bones in the flesh And the heart in the trunk So are soul, and body, clad and enclosed in the goodness of God
As truly as God is our Father, so truly is God our mother And he revealed that in everything and especially in these sweet words where he says, "I am the power and goodness of fatherhood, I am the wisdom and lovingness of motherhood. I am the light and grace which is all blessed love."
I looked at the hazel nut with the eye of my understanding and thought, what can this be? I was amazed that it could last for I thought that because of its littleness it would suddenly have fallen into nothing. And I was answered in my understanding. It lasts and always will, because God loves it, and thus everything has being through the love of God.
You will not be overcome.God did not say you will not be troubled, You will not be belaboured, You will not be disquieted; But God said, You will not be overcome.
What, do you wish to know your Lord’s meaning in this thing? Know it well, love was his meaning. Who reveals it to you? Love What did he reveal to you? Love Why does he reveal it to you? For Love Remain in this. And you will know more of the same." ~ Julian of Norwich


"You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it." ~ Margaret Thatcher

"I'm not offended by all the dumb blonde jokes because I know I'm not
dumb -- and I'm also not blonde." ~ -Dolly Parton


"Nobody can make you feel inferior without your permission." ~
Eleanor Roosevelt

"All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by frost. From the ashes a fire shall be woken, A light from the shadows shall spring; Renewed shall be blade that was broken: The crown-less again shall be king." ~ J.R.R. Tolkein


"Whom God loves, He loves to the end. And not just to
their own end and to their death, but to His end, and His end is that
He might love them still." ~ John Milton

Print this last one and post it where you can read it Every Single Day.

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our Light, not our Darkness, that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you.
We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.
It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone.
And as we let our own Light shine, we
unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others." ~ Nelson Mandela


Blessings - a new year with new beginnings where the old is past and we embrace the new, looking forward covered with the Grace, Mercy and Peace of God through Jesus Christ His Son.

Happy Christmas Eve Eve

It's Sunday, Christmas Eve Eve and the weather is mild, even warm and the rain has stopped and we saw the sun for a short while. Tonight, the Christmas moon is full and pregnant with anticipation.

Church service was, as always, thought providing and provoking. During one prayer, Pastor Jim said, "forgive us when we seek amusement instead of fulfillment."

I'd really never thought about it before but amusement is so temporary, so transient and ephemeral while fulfillment brings about satisfaction and a sense of fullness and well-being. Fulfillment also suggest an end, perhaps after being sated. As I've aged, I find more joy and satisfaction in activities that bring fulfillment. Frequently, such activities are also amusing such as gathering with fiber friends and spinning, knitting or quilting; though rarely do I find amusement also fulfilling.

Christmas is fulfilling as well as fulfillment. I didn't put up a tree but there are Nativity scenes scattered throughout the house and studio. My gifts aren't wrapped but will be surrounded into tissue paper and tucked into stockings. There's no traditional meal planned but Dave is making crab and lobster soup and with cheese, crackers and a tempting Merlot we'll have a divine feast. Perhaps we'll open a bottle of bubbly, there's a nice Saint Hilaire we've been saving.

We spent this afternoon, gathered at the Thompson Valley Fire and Rescue Squad, sharing a covered dish luncheon. Afterwards, we all stood on both sides of 6 tables, end to end, and stuffed bags full of candy, pencils, pads, posters, fruits and other giveaways. Tomorrow, Christmas Eve, at noon, the fire engines will go throughout the valley, giving bags to every child.

Last week, Dave was able to visit his Mother and sister; perhaps I'll visit my family next week. In the meantime, we'll spend Christmas at home, in the company of each other and our animals.

Contented and fulfilled.

Blessings ~ Christmas ~ family ~ friends ~ fulfillment ~ being able to give unto others ~ a little country church filled with the saints of God ~

McDowell County, WV

Earlier this week I went to Kimbell, WV to the 5 Loaves and 2 Fishes Food Bank. Bro. Bubby is the unpaid, volunteer director of said Food Bank and operates on a shoestring. Virtually every penny that goes into the operation is used to get food and other necessities to the most needy of McDowell and Wyoming Counties, WV and a couple of KY counties just across the line. No one gets paid a dime and every volunteer uses their own vehicles, powered by gasoline paid for out of their own pockets to assist the operation.

McDowell County is in the top three of the poorest counties in the entire USA. A large portion of the population is elderly, disabled and includes children and without Bro. Bubby and "his" food bank, people would starve. Literally. The need is just so tremendous.

Food and other supplies all come by way of donations and church people come to the former grocery store, now used as a warehouse, to divvy up the goods and take them to church distribution points. If a person has no way to pick up their supplies, they are delivered to their home. Needless to say, 4-wheel drive is absolutely necessary to gain access in most, if not all, of the hollers.

About 2,500 people will be fed with this shipment and, at Christmas, that's especially welcome. Food, dental supplies, toiletries and more make up the donated supplies.

The county seat is Welch which, in earlier days, was a boom town and boasted more than its fair share of millionaires. Now, it's mostly a shell of its former self and the grim, gray soot that defines any coal town seems especially overwhelming. There's still a lot of coal coming out of southern West Virginia and even southwestern Virginia. Coal is still King and powers this country in ways and places most don't realize. If you ride in a car, truck, bus, cable car, motorcycle, moped or any other vehicle not foot powered...thank a coal miner. If you have electricity...thank a coal miner. If you're reading this on an electric powered computer...thank a coal miner. If you're nice and warm with a thermostat controlled heating system...thank a coal miner. Hardly any of us aren't touched, on a daily basis, by the results of a coal miner.

Being a coal miner means black coal, black dust and black lung. More than several of the men folk in my family have died from black lung and I know many more who now suffer from black lung. It's a nasty death as are all lung illnesses and struggling for breath rips apart both those suffering and those who help the sufferer. But, the jobs pay well, exceptionally well for this part of the country, and allow families to stay together.

Most of the mountain people I've met or know are as tied and connected to these old mountains as a fetus to its mother. We simply cannot imagine living anywhere else; no where else is home. Home being both a physical place and a place of spirit; home where we spend our days while waiting on heaven.

The drive from Thistle Cove Farm to Kimbell is across some of the most rugged mountainous terrain in the Appalachias. West Virginia is the only state that's totally and completely contained in Appalachia and road systems, for the most part, are two lane and with some portions of the road crumbled away due to erosion or coal trucks going over the side.

I take photos, interview and send out press releases and newspaper articles about the 5 Loaves and 2 Fishes Food Bank and am hopefull those accounts stir someone's heart and wallet to send a donation. It's an old, old story...people struggling to survive, even exist, and, mostly, dependent upon the kindness of strangers.

Blessings ~ Bro. Bubby ~ volunteers ~ coal ~ donations ~ the Appalachias ~ people who help when they can, how they can, what they can ~

Death in the Midst of Living

My Mother's family is gathered in Gastonia, NC for the funeral of her beloved Sister. Death is always hard, even for those of us who share the belief in life everlasting through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Tensions, emotions and, yes, even tempers run higher; words are, sometimes, hastily said and, even more quickly, regretted. Family gathers around to lend support, hugs, tears, laughter. We share our strength, remember good times, fun times but all the while wondering how we're going to get through the next few hours, days, weeks.

For the rest of our lives, it will be a time of firsts. The first Christmas without our Wife, Aunt, Sister, Mother, mother-in-law, friend; the first New Year's, the first Valentine's, the first...

People are holding up well, as well as can be expected, I suppose. Aunt. R. suffered in this life; for the last sixteen years she was on oxygen because she had COPD from working in a sewing factory. Not only smokers and coal miners get COPD. Plain, ordinary women and men who work in tiresome circumstances, earning a living for their families also got, get, COPD. Anyway, she's not suffering now.

So, in this Holy Season, hold near and dear to those you love; remember with fondness and kindness those who have passed. Eat well, drink sensibly, love more today than you did yesterday but less than you will tomorrow. Remember God loves you and hold fast to your faith.

Knitting, Felting, Christmas

Those folks at Knitting Pattern and Crochet Pattern a Day Calendars are accepting designs for their 2009 calendars. The knitting deadline is 15 Dec and deadline for crochet is 31 December. My Trio of Tri Shawls has been accepted and even though my patterns are quite simple, it's still great fun to see them in print. Even beginner knitters need patterns, right? My shawls are great for fast knitting, for those times when a loved one needs immediate comfort. We live in a farmhouse that's chilly most times and downright frigid when clutched in winter's depths. A shawl is wrapped around me while I'm reading in bed and several shawls adorn chair backs throughout the house. Many times, people have wrapped themselves in cozy comfort whilst visiting.

"Love is the most difficult and dangerous form of courage." So says Delmore Schwarts and as we approach Christmas, I wonder.

Was it not so for Mary? At that day and in that age, the mind boggles at the courage of a young girl to bear the Christ child. Remember the story? At first, her intended considered "putting her away" which would have meant she would have been stoned to death. Adultry, for the woman at least, was a sin punishable by death though I've often wondered why the men, seemingly, got off free. There's never any record of the men being punished, always and only the women.

XM Radio plays non-stop Christmas music throughout the Holidays. The Holly and Ivy is on 103 but other seasonal music is found through station 108. Delilah is playing Christmas music as well; around here she's on FM 99. I'm enjoying the music and the stories and find it especially enjoyable to go to bed early and listen. A good book or magazine, music, flannel sheets, a shawl and the dogs and I are set for the evening. Dave's the night owl around here; I want to bed down shortly after dark.

My projects have taken a back seat for my illness. I'm still struggling to get well and the laryngitis hasn't broken yet. I've passed the three week mark, have taken one series of antibiotics and the second is in abeyance. The doc says not to take them yet but I'm beginning to question that wisdom. My body is exhausted from coughing and the struggle to speak; the antibiotics contribute to that exhaustion.

I did manage to finish a felted glasses holder. The lenses of my glasses stay scratched and that's due to being knocked off the bedside table. This little holder should stop the lenses from being scratched. Such small things in life contribute greatly to one's happiness, don't you think?

Little Christmas ornaments can be seen in the background; I'm only
hoping to heal quickly enough to put up a Christmas tree and use those ornaments!

This is my tea cozy but I don't think I'm finished with it. There's too much space that needs something but it's been fun and will be quite useful. I drink pots of tea and wool cozies keep the tea hotter/warmer than sitting out nekid.

Here's the back side and it has even more blank space than does the front:
I really like the dragonfly and the buttons spell "blessing". Yet, something is lacking, just not sure what.


Blessings ~ hot tea in the winter ~ work to keep hands and mind busy ~ healthy animals and husband ~ knitting ~ music ~ Christmas! ~

Pay It Forward...

Pay It Forward is sweeping Blogland and promises to be a treat! I've been reading about it at various blogs, including Anne , Chris, Liz and many, many others.

The original rules were "I will send a handmade gift to the first three people who leave a comment on my blog requesting to join this PIF exchange. I don’t know what that gift will be yet and you may not receive it tomorrow or next week, but you will receive it within 365 days, that is my promise! The only thing you have to do in return is Pay It Forward by making the same promise on your blog."

Great, eh? I think so too except I'd like to up the ante a bit. The first five people who leave a comment on my blog will receive a hand crafted/made "something" before Christmas 2008. I've been blessed and want to share my blessings so I've increased it from three to five people. If you see fit to send to five, rather than three, that's great but you're only obligated to Pay It Forward to three people *and* post about it on your blog. Post both about PIF and what you receive/send upon receiving and sending.

Pay It Forward and Merry Christmas!

Blessings ~ Blogland ~ Pay It Forward ~ Christmas ~ People who are willing to be kind ~ Cats on my lap who help me type ~ Blessings too numerous to count ~

Mercy Me...Gray Hair!

Who knew talking about gray hair would get such a response!

For clarification...when I wrote about coloring one's hair, I was speaking of those dear souls who are absolute slaves to their hair dresser. Those women who spend untold hours and finances sitting in the chair, having their hair colored, their roots retourched, their eyebrows done to match their hair and so forth. However, if that's your thing...do it with pride. My point was, for my lifestyle, it's always been and continues to be a waste of both time and money. Although, I do put streaks of orange and/or purple in my hair just for giggles every now and again. It's stuff that washes out and I don't suppose is, technically, dye.

As to my hair and age...I started going gray years ago but it was difficult to see because my hair is so blonde naturally. So...for those who think I'm absolutely toddering with age, I suppose it depends upon one's perspective. I'm in the middle of my fifth decade and started going gray in my third decade. My cousin turned gray, literally, overnight when she was nineteen. Others, like Leslie, started turning gray when she was sixteen and now has a crown of glory atop her body; she's known far and wide for her beautiful locks.

I'm as fey as the Irish who spawned me as evidenced by the photo Skip Rowland took at the National Folk Festival.

My point, was and is, one has to be comfortable with oneself. Where ever we go...there we are. There's no escaping being with ourselves and, when we lie down at night, we have to be comfortable with how we've conducted ourselves during the day, or, make things right as soon as possible. If coloring your hair gives you pleasure and you've got the funds, go for it. If you're going into debt to color your hair, I would seriously re-think the matter. Almost nothing is worth being in debt, at least to my way of thinking; I enjoy freedom too much to be in debt. But that's another topic for another time.

Pax.

Blessings ~ choices ~ freedom ~ fun ~ being comfortable with oneself ~ the folks who have voiced their opinions/thoughts ~

Blogger difficulties, fiber store, free yarn

Okay, I admit it. Again. I'm a computer ejit and Blogger is way smarter than I. However. I've made some strides in updating my template and blog look, although, I still have a long ways to go. I'd like to get the photo across the top of my blog, make some extra pages, add some color...simple things to those of you who are computer literate.

Anyway, this morning I've been visiting various blogs I like to read and catching up with folks, mostly fiber folks. I was able to access Greenberry, Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost, Marys Virgin Wool and Talk is Sheep but only Greenberry would allow me to post a comment.

DRATS!

I want Dawn to know I hope she's feeling better and can well relate to the epizootics she had. I've got them now and have been battling them for three weeks. And counting. Mary has some really wonderful things she bought when at SAFF plus a lovely spinning wheel chair she bought well before she started knitting. I'd love to know what kind of DVD's she purchased. Jody has interesting, albeit a tad frightening, photos for Thanksgiving. /lol/

This not being allowed to comment is an on-going problem and not only with the aforementioned blogs. It's difficult for me to post a comment to any blogger blog.

Update --- Just now, I'm able to post a comment to Dawn's blog. What gives??? But, it's a gift and I'm thankful. And now, Mary's blog. What's going on??? And now, Jody...this is all a bit perplexing.

The Springwater Fiber Workshop in Alexandria, VA is closing. This is a great shop...full of fabulous fiber, equipment, books and people who were friendly and knowlegable. After twenty-two years they are closing their doors with a twenty percent discount on merchandise. I hate this but completely understand business and economics; the fiber community, and northern Virginia in particular, will be the poorer for our loss.

Kristin Nicholas, is giving away some yarn to promote her new book, Kirsten Knits. You've got until 10 Dec to send her an e-mail. While you're signing up for the yarn give-away, please take time to read her farm and knitting blog...very interesting.

This quilt was given to my Mother by her almost ninety year old friend whose Mother made the quilt when she was a young girl/woman. The friend's children did not want the quilt. GASP! Can you believe it??? I feel like the professor in the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, "what IS it with children nowadays?" But, their loss is my gain. When the friend asked if Mom would like the quilt, Mom said, "My daughter would LOVE that quilt and give it a *great* home." So, said quilt is now mine and I absolutely love it as much as an inanimate object can be loved. It's soft, worn, cozy, homey and hand crafted home made. All things I hold near and dear to my heart and yet another blessing in a life filled and overflowing with blessings. May it be so in your life as well.

Blessings ~ all of them ~ quilts ~ Mothers ~ blogger friends ~ the fiber community ~ the brain and the will to learn ~

Gray Hair, Knitting, Quilting and Christmas

It absolutely amazes me that women *still* color their hair! Why? What's the point? Does anyone think our true ages can't be seen on the backs of hands or throats that are, sometimes not so faintly, reminiscent of a turkey's beard? I've got one by the way...turkey beard, jowels, wattle, whatever you want to call it, and it's a link to my Daddy's Hamrick side of the family. If I weighed fifty pounds less /yeah right, in my dreams/ I'd still have this wattle throat/neck. It's as much a part of who I am as my hair that's about four different shades and/or colors of gray, blonde, silver, red and possibly brown.

I colored my hair, once, in the seventh grade. Remember Sun-In? It was, probably still is, if it's still around, a, mainly, peroxide based, spray on hair lightener. I used it because that's what *everyone* was using in the seventh grade.

UGH! Nasty stuff turned my hair green and no, I wasn't going to the pool, the ocean, the lake or even to the back yard. Whatever the formula, it turned my hair green. Not all over mind. Just in spots. It would have been terrific for Haloween...maybe.

Back to my Roots: A Diary of Going Gray is one woman's "struggle" to accept her hair color and, maybe, to accept herself. Anne Kreamer chronicles her eighteen month change from dark, dyed hair to gray, her natural color for MORE magazine. It's a good article and I enjoyed listening to her strength becoming stronger as her hair became more and more "Anne" and less and less "Clairol". Or whatever she used. Going Gray: What I Learned About Beauty, Sex, Work, Motherhood, Authenticity, and Everything Else That Really Matters is the book she eventually wrote of her experience. BTW, she has beautiful hair...naturally.

It's always amazed me that women colored their hair; it seems such a waste of time and money. There's a lot more I'd rather spend my hard earned cash on than a bottle of dye...unless, of course, it's for my fleeces.

Here's a question I've been pondering...when, exactly, do freckles become age spots?

On the knitting front, I've just finished a hat for the young feller down the road and a shawl for me. The hat is in camo yarn /his dad's a hunter/ and the shawl is in a lovely, deep purple wool. It's a trifle small, not as large as I like my shawls but it's warm and cozy. This big ole farmhouse is chilly, even with the vast sums of money we send to the oil man, and a shawl is just the ticket on a cold winter's night.

I've been working on a moebius scarf using some of Leslie's angora and mohair yarn. The yarn is a lovely combination and uses the finest of her angora with some of my merino plus it's hand dyed! It traveled with me to Spain where I enjoyed knitting at a tapas bar in Ronda. The chocolate croissant and cafe au lait made the perfect combination...knitting, chocolate and something to drink...lovely!

Thanksgiving was lovely and the alter at church even more beautiful by the gift of someone's hands.

For the last three weeks I've been sick. It seems I say that a lot lately, hmmm. Anyway, I'm finally on antibiotics and feeling some better, at least better enough to check e-mail and blog update. Quilting has been put on hold and I've only two quilts ready to hem and pack for Christmas. That means I've two more quilts that need to have their blocks sewn together, then pieced with batting and back, then hand quilted and hemmed.

Panic is seeping 'round my mind's edges and the evil thought that I might not be finished in time is niggling at my brain. I wanted to visit family between now and Christmas as some of them aren't doing well and their time is growing short.

Ah well...time for my supper of mashed potatoes; it's the only thing my throat can stand.

Blessings - quilting, knitting, gray hair, hopefully...wisdom, Thanksgiving, the time we've got coming to us and, always, love

Art For 1000 Wells

Original Artwork = Saving Lives

Starting Saturday, 24 November, for ten days, through 4 December, 2007 Art for 1,000 Wells, an international group of artists, artisans and crafters will offer their original work for the common goal of raising mondy to benefit Blood:Water Mission's Thousand Wells Project.

From the Blood:Water Mission website: "When Dan Haseltine, Jars of Clay's lead singer, visited Africa in 2002, he had to struggle to accept what he saw. Poverty and physical and social suffering in Africa shook him, challenged him, and changed him.

"The 1000 Wells Project is building 1000 wells and clean water projects in 1000 African communities. Businesses, churches, schools, artists and individuals are collecting funds so they can sponsor the construction of wells in Africa. In the process, they are learning about how HIV/AIDS affects African communities, and what it means to partner humbly with communities to pursue transformation."

To find participating eBay listings type the keyword term TWBW, standing for Thousand Wells Blood:Water, but there are more artists than currently show on eBay. Check out Art For 1000 Wells for more information and links.

"Buy Once, Give Twice" - from the Art For 1,000 Wells site.

Blessings ~ another beautiful day ~ hay for the animals ~ the WWW and yes, even dial-up! ~ being on the well side of sick ~ the wind blowing the leaves out of the yard ~ people who care and do what they can, where they can, when they can

Spain...still

It's been a rough week. I've been sick and, for the most part, staying in bed. I've got a nasty cough, congestion, itchy eyes, laryngitis and, to make matters worse, forgot to send out invitations to my pity party.

'Tis the Season. Ho Ho Ho

Dave bought me a warm steam vaporizer and it's been out-putting almost non-stop for days. Throat lozengers, cough syrup, expectorant tablets, Sambucol, aspirin, vitamins...could I possible be missing anything in my get well arsenal?

It almost never fails...we go on a fabulous trip and I come home sick. At least this time I wasn't hurling in public. As in, full blown public in the luggage carousel area of the LAG airport. Or, privately as in the toilet of the airplane, but...to give me some credit...I did manage to wait until we were only forty-five minutes from landing. And, I did try to clean up my mess but it's still a mess, in a very confined place on a, suddenly, very small plane.

On the plus side, we did manage to get through customs in a hurry. I've had all vaccinations necessary, and then some, for overseas travel so I'm pretty sure this is just a nasty cold.

While we were in Spain, we managed to find a road that wasn't on any of our maps. It ran next to the Mediterranean Ocean, just to the east of Tarifa and had just a few houses sandwiched between the small piece of land and the ocean. It was amazing and beautiful! I love photos where there aren't a lot of colours but the contrast is between similar colors, in this case gray and green, forcing the eye to find beauty in starkness. What must it be like to live here, this close to the ocean, during a storm? The houses are nestled in the labre of the ocean and the earth and the buildings show the harshness of the environment, the fight to survive in such a climate. Another photo I especially like is this one, taken from the car as we were hurtling through a mountain pass. Not bad for a photo taken on the fly. Again, I like the contrast between the green that's scratched from a layer of topsoil thinner than my fingernail, and the colours of the stone and other earthern building materials. What's the story? Who lived and died and ate and loved here? Why did the people leave the house and was that the day the house started dieing? The day its people left?

Another photo...this one reminds me of Easter..."up from the grave He arose...with a mighty triumph o'er His foes"... I think the angel is right behind the hill, just there...on the left...see the light?


This afternoon, Dave went over the mountain to buy provisions and came home with the DVD Amazing Grace, something on my Christmas wish list. It turns out there are up sides to being sick, after all.

Blessings - thankful I'm feeling better all the time ~ photos, they make memories better ~ pure, clean, cold, sweet mountain water ~ a comfy bed for restorative sleep ~ Amazing Grace - in all its forms ~

Spain, Morocco, camels & travel

Mary Lois, Dave and I have just returned from Spain, Morocco and Gilbraltar where we had a fabulous time! It's a treat and privilege to travel...to see God's creation, meet other of His children. Like this fellow...our camel driver in Tanjer. I rode this female camel and as soon as I got off, her little one came over for a warm drink. Camels.com is a great website for more information about camels, I believe the correct name for "baby camel" is "calf" but "little one" is safe as well.

Camels are mentioned in Genesis, chapter 24, and the story of Rebekah drawing water for Abram's man servants' camels continues to amaze me. Drawing water is hard work and made even harder when one has to pull up a clay pot hanging on a rope, made heavier by the weight of the clay plus it's soaked with water and full of water. Until a couple of years ago, I had to draw water, carry water and fill a horse trough for one of our horses. It was usually below freezing, usually a brisk wind and I'm using two five gallon buckets to carry water 150 feet. It was challenging. And, all I had to do was fill the trough...not fill a camel who drinks 30 gallons at a time. YIKES!

Not for the feeble hearted yet Rebekah volunteered to do this task. She wasn't asked, she volunteered. My guess is...she cheerfully volunteered as well.

Amazing!

I've, mostly always, had a good attitude when tending to my animals. I adore my work and am amazingly blessed to live on this farm and do the work necessary to keep everyone going. But. These are my animals and this is my farm. Rebekah gave water to the man servant and then volunteered to water his camels. All ten of them.

I'm math challenged, so to speak, but even I can figure out that's about Three Hundred Gallons of water...roughly ten gallons at a time.

The mind boggles!

Wandering through the souk we saw many strange and wonderful sights. Not many women though...women reign at home while the men tend to business outside the home. Most of the women we saw were either tourists or Berber; the few Muslim women we saw were heavily robed and, more often than not, veiled.

This woman is selling a few lemons and peppers alongside the street. Just consider...just as this woman, Rebekah would have been robed and veiled as she watered those ten camels.

Needless to say, when I'm carrying water I'm dressed in insulated coveralls, long underwear, wool sweaters, socks and hat. Mostly I'm cheerful but my level of cheerfulness lessons greatly the more I slosh freezing water on myself as I'm carrying those buckets. Life on the farm lends itself greatly to understanding, on a Very Intimate Level, what it must have been like all those thousands of years ago.

Food was killed the day it was eaten and, even today, one finds sheep, goat, and chicken carcasses throughout the market. Remember Abigail? In order to appease David she "made haste, and took two hundred loaves, and two bottles of wine, and five sheep ready dressed, and five measures of parched corn, and an hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs, and laid them on asses."

Now, I don't care how hurriedly one prepares a meal nor how many servants one has at their disposal, there's more than a day's work in baking two hundred loaves and slaughtering and dressing five sheep. Abigail has already seen to it her household has food put by as evidenced by the "five measures of parched corn, hundred clusters of raisins, wine and two hundred cakes of figs."

Look up "prepared" and you'll find Abigail's picture. This woman is a jewel, a credit to herself and her household and her oaf of a husband, Nabal, is a drunken lout, even called wicked.

UGH! Spare me from such a marriage and a man. I wonder if Abigail was sold into marriage, perhaps traded for debt or land or livestock. Her life couldn't have been rainbows and roses being married to Nabal yet she didn't let that stop her from being the best she could be.

Oh Dear. There's another message for me but it's bedtime and, like Scarlet, I'll think about this tomorrow. Unlike Scarlet, I'll probably dream about this tonight.

Travel is broadening, sometimes even frightening, but I love, love, love to travel. Only death will separate me from Thistle Cove Farm but I dearly love to travel...to meet and greet other of God's children, see His creation, find new people and new things to pray about.

I leave you with some quotes on travel but if you cannot travel...at least read about traveling.

"I met a lot of people in Europe. I even encountered myself." ~James Baldwin

"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime." ~Mark Twain

"The traveler sees what he sees. The tourist sees what he has come to see." ~G.K. Chesterton

"The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page. " ~St. Augustine

Blessings ~ travel ~ good friends who make a good journey better ~ people who share their wisdom ~ KJV ~ lessons learned both the easy way and the more difficult ~ a great marriage