thursday morning and the knitting ain't easy

I ripped it a few times
and figured what I wanted
now the mitten should be done today

ditto the wristlet for the classes I am teaching in the fall
I got to finish the scarf off too


now
the soapies are in the mold
but the stick blender broke in the middle.....
it is brand new........ I got it first of may when colleen was here
so I can't return it
damn I hate walmart

they discountinued the brand I normally use
( I think it was a ge)

ok so I got to get yet another stick blender cause I am making all the soap to stock the web site
you folks want anything in particular.........or plan to order for the holidays
let me know NOW................

I made coffee soap yesterday......I will see how it looks when I turn it out of the mold later

lets see
the ladies and the cats are all doing well
I made and canned strawberry jam

Pieheart and I are to go blueberry picking this coming week..............
I am planning on drying them

I got the garden a bit more in
and got a tick AND got eatten by mosquitos

and got a gallon of deep woods off to go out there with on a daily basis.......

at least when they bite me, I can bite BACK
DIE YOU INGRATES..

ah...... but I am not bitter


ok
lets see ........the girls are not yet out in the chicken palace
I SWEAR they are going to go on strike.........AND IT'S ALL BERNIE's FAULT


yup yup

the gate is still too big......there's no roost
and NO chicken friendly and SAFE coop out there
he thinks they will willing go into a stuffy non ventilated dog house
ha
sure bernie.....

ok
anyone want to take a ride with me to philly after 1.16 a pound boneless skinless chicken breast?

let me know ok???


til next time

vi

you know who your friends are when......

you get a tick on your ass just past where you can reach to get it out yourself.....


and yes that happened to me in the past

this memory brought to you by the deer tick on my leg saturday
ewwwwwwwww
I am still phobic
stay tuned for other words of wisdom.......

vi

can we can chicken???

chicken has been on sale.
.39 a pound legs
1.30-1.79 a pound boneless breasts
1.29 a pound bone in breasts
soooooooooo
naturally I can't resist and I keep buying them
and they are going into jars
they will feed us through the winter
but I tell you...... they look a bit odd
and I am beginning to look alot like my girls.....

I made strawberry jam yesterday
I hate strawberries but bernie loves them and he loves strawberrie jam so I did it
and it turned out perfect

I can't wait for beef to be on sale....... I will be canning that like crazy as well.

now in garden news
we are getting there....slowly
don't ask

and in fiber news
I am doing my mitten sample for my mitten class.
then I will be doing the beaded wristlet

I have soap orders coming in
so I am also making soap in between

( note if you want to order soapies........better get it in NOW...... I am doing the fall scents like apple spice and pumpkin now.......as well as the coffee kitchen soap and a few other 'flavors)

now.........
have you all missed me???
hahahahaha

well you'd all better!!!

vi
submerged in canned chickens

worm barns.....and rainy days

it's been raining here.........a LOT
in fact the rhodo leaves are so moist that when the sun comes out they WILT!!!
so the last of the garden isn't in.....
but I am going to put in a worm barn

now
before you think I have completely lost it.....
( ok before you confirm that I have completely lost it)

I just want a place where the kitchen scraps are composted up faster then in the general heap....
so a worm barn it is

I need a lidded bottomless something or other......so the worms can come and go......
and I will add some shredded newspaper and some soil and kitchen scraps.....
and feed the wormies....

in turn they will feed my garden

and everyone will think I am totally nutso.....
hahahaha

well that's ok

me and my wormies understand.......
meanwhile it's raining
I go tomorrow to jersey to see a friend of mine
she's got canning jars for me
woo hoo
another 5 dozen

I am TRIPPING over them but that's ok
I am also filling them

in fiber news...........
I have to knit wristlets and mittens......
I am going to knit baby mittens as I don't have time for the others
these are for two new classes I am going to teach.......
cool huh?
hahhahaha

ok I got to go
I have to start my day

ttyl

vi

this and that

well my chicken palace is up..........
but are my girls in there NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
and where are the little princesses of chickendom????
where indeed you might ask
why still in the daylight basement!!!
and it is apparently agreeing with them as they all laid eggies today!
yeah for eggies from all 4 hens!!!
and they were all loud and proud about it
ever HEAR a loud and proud chicken after she laid an egg........
well lets put it this way..............
it scared the hell out of my soap customer today........and her son
hahahahaha
I know that one was dulcette................ she is ALWAYS the loudest!

( and they had salad for breakfast this morning........and a kiss on each beak!!!)

now I am so thankful for small things.......... in this heat thaddeaus is NOT tormenting the girls
the tables have turned actually
with the girls ganging up and beating the crap out of him last night
hahahaha
I shouldn't laugh but you should have SEEN the look on his face.............
I told him

'son, this is payback,.............. and payback is a bitch AND you been pretty rough on your sister and great grammie'

he had no comment but he was sucking his tail again

yup my rough tough little boy cat sucks his tail...................
oye
guess we will hold off on the tattoo and leather vest for him huh?

do NOT believe him when he tells you how tough and rough he is........... and remember no matter how macho that cat thinks he is.............. he is just a little boy when the girls gang up on him

( them girls take no prisions you see)

now I can't say I blame them
he is a PITA

he has to inspect their litter box out put....while they are still outputting it.......

they don't like that
( hell no one would like that)

he jumps on them while they are sleeping and starts to bite their toes.........
damn.........
someone bite MY toes when I am asleep I think I would have to just shoot them
( iffen I had a gun......... that is the little flaw in my plan........we don't own a gun.....I am afraid of them!)

our mornings are a stream of
"thaddeaus no............. thaddeaus stop that, ............... thaddeaus get OFFA there.......
thaddeaus leave her alone................ thaddeaus no............ thaddeaus stop that........."
well you get the picture
for a solid hour mostly every morning

I love that little guy but I think his sister and grammie are plotting his demise.................

oye
vi

Morning everyone

yes,sweetie, I AM making jam and preserves....... strawberrie is first.... want to come help pick?
I need 8-10 quarts! Pieheart and I have been talking about going together..we'll have a blast!
I am going to dry, can and root cellar as much as I can......
( SO SEND ME used CANNING JARS GUYS.....I need over 1500 of them! email me ok?)

Kim dear, I am probably going to get the vacuum sealer..
but maybe not for using with the freezer, as I am trying to get more food into 'not electric' dependant storage.

Last winter I accidently left the freezer door unlatched and it partly defrosted.
it scared me as we had our quarterly stock up of food in there.
so this year I am determined to make sure something like that, if it does happen, won't threaten what we stored.

now that bernie has been down at this new job over a year......I found their slow time is from the end of january to ( actually it is still slow) probably august

so I need to change the way we stock food
normally we restock 4 times a year.
that is the amount the freezer will hold ( which is why for all these years I did it that way)

now that we are going to have slow times for 8 months....... I have to make sure that I am stocking about a year or so worth.

it is a bit mind boggling

( yea that is an understatement)

do you know how much FOOD bernie can eat in a year?
oh man................

ok I learned to pressure can..... from the people on a great yahoo group that is for canning

And as an aside.. The Mormon's really do know what they are doing, if you need to learn to stock a years worth......... go and read their information. And they are nice folks

so this is where I'm at now.

I have put together a sort of rough plan that is an adaptation of how I normally stock our pantry.
I am adapting as much as possible to the whole canning thing.
which means figuring how certain parts of recipes we eat are silimar to other things.....
ie: I usually make and freeze about 20 pounds of mini meatballs to use later in a couple different ways.....
well I am going to can them..........with a slight variation.....
some will be in tomato sauce
some in red wine with mushrooms, garlic and onion....
that takes care of the two 'bases' for meatballs
and I will use them in at least 7 different ways........

I am doing the same with chicken

then as I make other things such as ham........I will can parts of that just like I would ordinarily freeze it

the garden is either going to be dried, root cellared or canned..
and in some cases all three
I intend on drying potatoes as well as root cellaring them and CANNING THEM

I will still use the freezer but not be as dependent on it for the bulk of my pantry anymore.

Ok today,
I have a customer coming for soap
and I have to go to town to the po and the pharmacy........
I teach tomorrow
( great class in beginners lace knitting)

I am hoping for some time out in the garden today...... but it looks like the rains aren't going to let me.
I wanted to get some beds fixed
I would also like to put in a small worm farm out there.
to directly compost the kitchen scraps. Kittchen scraps are taking alot of time out in the regular compost to decompose, as I don't have much green matter to put in there yet but the worms will have a blast getting to it in their own seperate sunk in the ground bin.

in house and trying to move news
well again the kitchen remodel is stalled.................. as is the siding and windows for the studio.
i know we will take a huge loss on the house if we try and sell like that
(it's also a buyers market right now..........so we wait)
I expect that if I am still here next year there is going to be a good reason that I am
sort of like the universe wants me to be here cause I am so ready to move

the chickens are well..................
I wish they could be out in their chicken palace.
the cats are well......... although thaddeaus was sneezing a bit this morning..........he does that in the rain.
The roos' are doing great and I do have pictures to post
little violet is growing well and sturdy

I am feeling better...... ( that damn fall down the stairs didn't help things however)
I am also due my period.......... so I hope I can say that in a few days......

I did learn a few things........
I need to eat yogurt EVERY day.......and take fiber with it...............( SO we've reached THAT stage have we..? where prunes are our friends?????)
I also learned that I need to take my thyroid meds daily................. amazing huh!
here I thought I could take them weekly .........( gees...................)
hahahahahah
oye
til next time

vi

how doth your garden grow?

my potatoes are up
last week frosts this week harvest
(of lettuce and spinach)
we are almost into the real gardening season here
I know other folks have thiers already going gangbusters
but we had to break new space and since I need actually help this year....I had to wait on bernie

ok what's new here is I learned to can
I never did that before
so I am canning everything in sight

I also went back to drying food again...now we will have a lot of dried veggies put by

the cats and the 'ladies' are all fine
bernie's fine
I pitched manure all day memorial day..... ( the things i do for the garden)
now
I need to decide
I am going to make at least one major appliance purchase this summer

should it be
a larger dehydrator? ( about 200. 00)
a vaccuum sealer? ( about 150 or so)
or a grain mill? (about 275)

what do you folks think?
any opinions?

in fiber news.......I just taught a class in beginning lace to some very nice ladies......
I hope they are knitting lace and enjoying it

I am also going to do a dyeing demo for my spin group


and we are to go strawberry picking........... I need at least 8 quarts


oh and I need canning jars folks.........USED are fine........ pints and quarts and half pints ...
( I figured out what I am going to need and it is more then impressive.......about 1500 assorted )

ohohoh

til next time

vi

the dead can WRITE too!

My sister in law came out on May 4......
we went to the sheep and wool down in maryland.......
I owe you all pictures I know I know

bernie and colleen ( his sister and my sister in law) put up the chicken pen but didn't finish the varmint proofing so the ladies are STILL in the house with us.

my sister in law left on may 13 from philly airport
we broke down on the way home three times
limping in.............the van died in the driveway........... and refused to be revived without very EXPENSIVE parts

then that monday I fell down the front stairs........

I am ok
but still in pain here and there
( aspirin and tylanol are my best friends)

Margeruite went all broody on me........
so here I am........ truck on blocks in the driveway and a chicken in the living room..........
can you say red neck????

yesterday I canned my first chicken.......... NO not my girls......... 1.30 a pound chicken on sale.

the garden still isn't in..
( anyone feel like coming to help.........we got CHICKEN for dinner)

we are having a few other 'interesting' things going on.

so all in all not much funny stuff to write about.

now bernie finally did get the van running again
ouch on the parts prices......but if I had to pay labor above that.........well let's just say little violet the goat would be pulling a cart..........

today I am to clean the canner and do it all again
( chicken now on sale 1.47 a pound for boneless skinless.................. are we going to stock up? can you spell HELL YEAH????? so we cluck and feather out.......... at least the girls will know they belong here..............vi-the woman with 100+ pounds of chicken in the freezer......and still is buying more)

I can also tell you
falling down the stairs at this age...............
well I don't bounce anymore
I sort of go splat and then......................... try to wait til my breath comes back
and that hitting your back on a stair is NOT something I recommend.
nor is hitting your ass on a stair

make a note
stairs are hard
don't try this at home


and mengele will cry if she saw my shoulders now.........
that bone she replaced sort of got knocked out again......
( and don't think THAT didn't hurt like hell)
imagine my surprise!

and actually I was so surprised, I didn't actually know what had happened to me
it was a bit surreal like a dream.......
then it hurt
like hell
oye
scared the shit out of bernie
who was trying to then pick me up
yeah right.. that worked REAL WELL

anyway that explains the garden STILL not being done

oye


til next time
vi

ps: the canning thing is way cool
and I did NOT blow up the house
but bernie had to open the canner and lift it
I can't

Thank you to everyone who commented and wrote

as everyone is now pointing out....my little amber is gone over a week now.
I miss her so fundamentally I can't even tell you all
it's almost like half the foundation of the house is gone
it hasn't been a good week sorry folks.

I keep trying to find something to say...but there isn't anything
which I suppose is a first.

maybe in a few days


vi

in loving memory of amber

we lost our amber today
at 10:45 am
I had petted her little head, and told her I was going up to the bathroom and I would be right back.
when I got back she'd gone
amber was born sometime in 87 or 88 I do remember it was spring however
and today.... april 23, 2006 she left us in the spring.

she was every inch herself and every inch a diva

when we had her home...... a tiny ball of fluff with merry her little fluffy sister.......
I was musing out loud 'what should YOUR name be??? autumn?..........september?

she sat at my feet, barely 6inches high, and meowed up at me......I know she understand me
and I SWEAR that I heard her say........'my name is AMBER.....A M B E R'

I was startled and look at her.......
'your name is amber?'
she meowed again
I said..........ok amber it is.....

damn I am going to miss her............

when thaddeaus was still a baby....only 5 months old, he was sleeping at the top of the stairs.
in front of the bathroom doorway, I was sad to say on the 'goddess'
amber had been down in the studio and killed a white footed deer mouse.
BIGGER then her head

she had a funny kind of rabbit hop to climb the stairs but she did....with that mouse in her mouth....
she slamed it down next to the sleeping thaddeaus....
let out a CAUTERWAWL to wake the dead........and swatted him across his sleeping face....
then I SWEAR she curled her lips in discust turn her BACK on him and rabbit hopped back down the stairs
I swear she was letting him have and telling him.....'hey KID, THIS is what you are supposed to be doing.........i'm old you know....it's YOUR turn'

that cat had real attitude

I am going to miss her terribly......

vi

Long ago and far away

When I was growing up........
I remember that the people in my family and neighborhood were very interconnected.
Uncle John Langfinger used to come over for coffee in the morning....
at night during warm weather the neighbors would take turns gathering on someone's porch talking and laughing from after supper until after dark.......
My relatives visited every weekend and sometimes during the week as well.

If someone needed help........they ALL rushed to help, family and friends.
I called neighbors Aunt and Uncle and there was very little difference between the two.

Everyone talked at least daily, over the fence........ on the stoop....... while drinking coffee at the kitchen table.

I remember when our well ran dry......... Weezie and Uncle John dropped a hose to our house.....then Uncle John helped dad sink a new well.

EVERYONE was like this..

so my sense of family, friends and community means a LOT of contact.
Now I am sort of far geographically from whomever is left so instead of setting on the stoop
I call.

recently I was criticized for this by one person I know.
As I will call her the same time every day and have coffee with her on the phone.

She implied that this is a fault somehow on my part......
I disagree.

I am more and more seeing people disconnected, families not close...people not knowing their neighbors.
I see society tumbling apart
Folks don't care about other folks............ giving the excuse that 'is none of my business'

I also think we as humans are much poorer for this mind set.

Even when we lived in the apartment before moving up here to pa, neighbors regularly gathered on someones stoop.........
we had communal picnics in the center green of the apartment complex.

folks helped each other.

I am being told I am 'co-dependant'

no
I am old fashioned and human.

I believe that people need the daily connection to build a sense of communitee.......
I believe that only by helping each other, and sharing day to day life will people keep their humaness.

I don't believe that it always has to be in person............
I do however think it is very important to spend the time with the people you care about.
even if it is just over the phone........


let me ask you all...........
you know what I think.........
what do you think?


til next time

vi

birthday pictures

The penny thief

a story about a tiny little person.


When I was young, my neices lived with us.
I had the bedroom upstairs....... ( mine all mine..............)
I always had a habit of leaving my loose change around...... I would empty my pockets and toss it.
I trusted EVERYONE in those days

my baby neice who couldn't have been more then 3 at the time had a real thing for pennies......
she would grab them in her chubby little hand and scream 'my money' in delight.

we would tease her by offering her a quarter and three pennies........ she would ALWAYS take the pennies.

this particular day..
I was upstairs in late afternoon/early evening.
I was taking a nap as I had just gotten my period
I remember being so tired
my Bed was also right by the door.........

this little baby neice thought she was sneaking up on her aunt..............
but stumbled over a pile of change!
she couldn't resist it
( if you all could see me giggling while I type this)

she GRABBED the change.............. oh my
she got SO excited
she forgot she was to be sneaking up on me and screamed 'MY MONEY!!!!!!'
and started running out of the room
she was so excited that she never noticed that I reached out and grabbed her by the collar and took the money out of her hand.............
it was like a cartoon

she got downstairs and ran to grampa........my dad

she went to show him 'her' money
and looked down in her hand to find it empty!
the poor kid started to cry!

my dad was trying not to laugh, cause he realized by then what had happened..
plus I was standing at the foot of the stairs now with the handful of change

we let her pick all the pennies out of the change and I tried hard to remember not to leave it laying around

but I still laugh when I think of her doing that.

hahahahaha
til next time
vi
who has some good news to tell you all
and is going to the tunis farm tomorrow for a lamb cause it is my birthday!

ok fast updates!!!

MARGUERITE laid her very first EGG!!!!
yeah

I am so proud of her
she is a sweetie now that she can't fly onto my head


the doctor
I have a slight reprieve
I have to use a nitroglycerine cream 4X a day
and we are putting off the surgery for a while
meanwhile I am going to look for a second opinion
as I don't like this doctor
I was in a lot of pain
he kept telling me that I was NOT in pain

I am thinking I need a new doctor no?

oye

meanwhile I am home
and so happy to BE home
but I got to make up my mind what I am going to do within four weeks

oye

vi

MARCH 24 update

I have an appointment with a colo-rectal surgeon down here in easton tuesday
then thursday if I feel well enough................
Kris and Carole are going to take me to see about my tunis!!!

( now I am worried I can't afford my tunis....... )

meanwhile
today is not a good day.........
I don't feel great but I am hoping that this second opinion will figure something out for me

oye

vi
it isn't my head I am concerned about exploding...............................

ok so how does a person prepare for surgery?

1. last Harry potter book
   
2. all the Harry potter movies on dvd
3. sock yarn
4. more sock yarn
5. some comfy sort of non binding clothes?
6. icecream
7. yogurt
8. cashews
9. did I mention sock yarn?

I am going to the surgeon tomorrow the meds didn't work so it is time for this.

oye talk about an ass in a sling

I am hoping to have a bit of time and some less painful days to get the freezer stocked with meals for at least a month.

this is the time of the year we defrost the freezer and restock for spring, so I better get that done before anything happens

now about my chickens........ I really wish I had gotten the chicken diapers for them

so I could have them come up and visit me while I am convalescing......

well anyway bernie is taking off to take me to the surgeon tomorrow to start this whole thing.....

oye

and I am teaching saturday , I hope I can anyway.

soooooooo I will keep you all posted

vi

Thaddeaus Peabody goes to town

Mommy and Daddy were going to town, for the mail and chicken bedding.
Thaddeaus Peabody who'd been a very good boy, wanted to go with them.
Thaddeaus stretched up to the doorknob and tried to open the door himself...... Always being a gentlecat, who knew his manners.......

but mommy and daddy told him NONO Thaddeaus you can't go
Thaddeaus stepped away from the door
but refused to leave the hallway
he was so disappointed
But mommy was watching Thaddeaus and asked him if he'd like to go to town with them......
Thaddeaus looked up in confusion, mommy NEVER asked if he's like to go with them, she always told him he had to stay home.

"Thaddeaus dear, you have been such a good boy lately....... you haven't beaten up your sister or great grammie too awfully bad...... and you did get your full curly coat in, plus you did so well with your bath....you can come with us.....Daddy please get his harness and leash"


So Daddy got Thaddeaus' leash and harness and held him while Mommy put it on him.

He loved riding in the front seat looking out the window
he saw a red truck and a horse, he saw the feed store.
A nice young man asked what Thaddeaus was......... as he'd never seen a cat on a leash.......
Thaddeaus let the young man pet him and purred for him to show how much he was enjoying himself.

When everyone got home, Thaddeaus retreated to his cat tree to rest after his big adventure.

And Mommy and Daddy decided that Thaddeaus can go to town regularly.

pix and fawn news!

Fawn is finally come around....
she likes to be held all of a sudden..........!!!
she sits on my chest and purrs for hours now!
we are sooooooooooo thrilled
it is almost a year that it took








I have tons of goatie and sheepie pictures to upload for you all but haven't had a chance.

I had a dream of my father........ which I have to post later

we did taxes today, our accountant came here..... he found out that he is allergic to chickens!
the girls meanwhile buried their eggs yet again......


ok I have to run but will post more later.......


ok back
Trish

said I gotta tell you the five things I keep in the fridge......
ok we got eggs.........
oh and we got eggs

and we got eggs
and did I mention we got EGGS

get the feeling we are overrun with eggies huh?

what else

milk....... 100% whole milk
we alway got sour cream too
and bernie and his 50 mustards
( I got to dump them damn............ no one needs 50 different mustards)

orzo
there is also always a red cabbage in there
and celery
and whole garlic
oh and real butter......none of that crap margerine stuff

( we don't have high cholesteral......his is like 172 and mine is 153..... and the ratios are perfect)

everything else changes in the fridge
but we always have that stuff
( hey I LIKE red cabbage.....)

what else now??

Oh that dream

I dreamt that I was home in my childhood house............. something was wrong in the basement and it scared me so I went to the kitchen...............
on the table was a phone book with my dad's phone number on it
I called dad and told him to come home
he told me no
I told him 'but dad, I am really scared'

and Dad got all upset with me and again told me 'no I am NOT coming home anymore........I live here now.'

needless to say I had a fight with my father ........

( see I keep telling you all........ just cause they are dead......that means NOTHING in my family..........)

naturally I got a bit pissy about it all

ok

in other news
we washed Thaddeaus today
he is soooooooooooooooooo cute, cream colored and curly now
he really was getting a bit dingy looking
my boy is so curly now I have got to get a good picture of him for you all


til next time

vi

Little violet today!

oh my goodness she is sooooooooooooooo cute
hahahaha
I love my little goatie

Goatie updates, and general goings on

Violet the goat is doing very well, she is strong and sturdy.
she is eating well and growing steadily.
I am going to try and get out to the farm this week to see her adorable little goatie face.




All three of the big hens, Dulcette, Henrietta and Sharon are all laying.
Henrietta not as often as Dulcette and Sharon
Sharon averages every other day
Dulcette 7 out of 8 days
and Henietta has laid two so far....
Dulcette is laying jumbo eggs now
a warm brown color
Henrietta is laying the Lilac colored eggs
and Sharon goes back and forth in color

they tell me when they've laid, as they get cherrios for a treat!
Margerite should start laying in may or june.....

Dulcette has taken to hopping out of the pen when I go down
she is very funny running around in the basement.
I call her and she runs right back over to me........
Even her little chickeny brain understand that she needs to be IN the PEN to get the cherrios for her treat!
she just doesn't know how to get back in the pen.......
so I pick her up
she waits for me to pick her up, which makes me laugh.
All the chickens take turns coming out for a petting and cuddling session they love it
they fluff up their feathers and settle down and sort of talk under their beaks so to speak.......very softly....
I tell them how beautiful they are and how much I love them
they LOOK at me...hahahahaha



In Curly Cat news
THADDEAUS is no longer bald!!!
while we weren't paying attention he grew in a wonderful curly/wavey long hair la perm coat.
Since he is so light colored it is hard to see in photos but he has TIGHT little ringlets at the surface of his skin and then the fur sort of softly waves out from that
He needs a Bath....

Fawn is doing exceptionally well........she will be here 1 year on March 31.........
she is a little tank I swear......she charges around the house getting into everything
if she were human, she would be the little girl with the baseball cap, freckles and slingshot....she is a tom boy!

Calpurrnia is my sweet little blue eyed feminine baby girl.......SHE would be dressed in pink with ruffles and bows......if she were human.......
SHE would insist!
She sits patiently when I am dishing out the can food......... Thaddeaus gets his first......then Fawn who is telling me all about it ..........
and my sweet little lady calpurrnia is just waiting........
she knows hers is coming.......

Amber the 4009 year old cat is STILL with us
STILL a bit felted....
I work on her matts as often as she lets me
she never cleans herself anymore, letting me do it
it's been I think three years since she groomed herself.....
but she is still healthy, eating and happy as a senile cat should be

Ivan the fish..........remember him?
he is still with us!
I do partial water changes twice a week and total water changes every two weeks
today was his total water change........
the plants and IVAN are very happy.
I use Ivan's old water to water all the house plants.

on the 19th, I get the results of the spin contest put on by my spin group
I understand that the judges didn't believe I was a novice after looking on my hand spindle spun singles ( say that three times fast)
but I spun them on a toy wheel spindle that I made, when I was spinning only about 3 months
they also liked my novelty yarn........remember the peacock roving?
well I added some icycle dyed blue and some beads..............
I want to knit that into a scarf.
I am thinking of spinning some solid blue to go with it........... maybe solid blue and a bit more of the icycle
and knitting up the main part of the scarf using the novelty for the ends........

I am not actually a blue person, but that mix of blues in that roving was not too bad.

I am still waiting to hear from the shepherd about the tunis lamb
oh and lambing starts this week out at lilac corners

I have kid pictures to load for you all which I will do later this week

til then

vi

here is her close UP!!!