I Have Fiber

   I have 4 Llama fleeces and 2 Suffolk sheep fleeces to skirt, wash and, card and spin. I would still like the Shetland sheep fleeces. The Suffolk fleeces are white and about 3 inches long. The Llama fleeces are a nice brown, a nice tan, a cream colored and a white, black, gray, and tan and about 6 inches long. Amy wasn't really thrilled that I am teaching her how to spin with the Suffolk wool. Amy also has to learn how to skirt, wash and card the wool. She isn't really happy about having to touch dirty and then wet wool.
   The spinach is ready to harvest again, so I have to take care of all that before I play in my fiber. So now, since we have a bathtub and a walk in shower in our bathroom, the fiber is in bags in the bath tub. There are people in the extra room where it would have ended up. We don't have a garage to store it in or a shed, so the bath tub it is. Who knows where the bumper crop of potatoes will end up this year until I can work my way through them. Luckily, they aren't ready to harvest yet.
   I didn't buy shoes and socks with the money I paid for the sheep shears. Instead, I bought a table for my dutch oven. Nothing exciting, but now I can use my dutch oven and not break my back picking the heavy thing up. My dutch oven weighs 23 pounds empty, so having it cooking at table height is going to be much nicer. I bought a roast for my first meal since they are hard to mess up. I'll add some potatoes and carrots and onions and be good to go. Add some nice, fresh spinach as a veggie and a hone grown salad, and it will be great. Maybe, even fresh bread since I make 2-3 loaves a week.
   I do believe I've made myself hungry, so I'm off to go eat something.
  

Coming Soon, Lots Of Fiber In My Diet. Not The Kind You Are Probably Thinking Of

   Last evening, the growing lamb from behind us got in the yard. As she was trying to go back home, she panicked when she saw her people, and ran into the fence, getting tangled in it and tearing it down. They will try to fix the fence today.
   Wendy, the sheep's mom, is going to buy my sheep shears and some, if not all, of my goat supplies. I have no use for them anymore. I mentioned to Wendy before that I spun, and she wanted to know if I wanted many Shetland sheep fleeces and 2 or 3 llama fleeces. Of course, I said yes. I will use use some of it to teach her, possibly her kids and a friend and Amy how to spin. After I teach her how to spin, I will teach her how to crochet.
   The sheep's dad, William, is going to give Tim lessons in butchering. William was worried about teaching Tim the kosher way, but it doesn't matter to us, so I think Tim is learning how to butcher chickens this weekend.
   They will also give us an endless supply of compost from all their critters. Wendy and William were both impressed with our garden, even though we don't think it's doing as well as last years. With the lack of sun, and 12 inches of rain so far this year, things are behind.
   We did have fresh homegrown spinach with out supper last night. I have a lot more I need to harvest. William said they have never grown spinach, so it's now on their list of things to grow in their garden next year.
   Since I will be getting some extra money, I will use part of it for the pressure canner and more jars. I'm also thinking shoes and socks would be nice, since I figure one of these days I'll actually have to wear shoes again.
   I guess with people coming over, it's the extra incentive I need to dust.
 

So Much For Sunny Weather

   It seems our sunny weather has left us for a while. Yesterday, we had a brief high of 66. With more rain. It's so dark and cloudy now, it's probably going to start raining any minute now. We have 20% chance of isolated thunderstorms today. I told Tim the weather report and told him it would be a nice enough day do ride his motorcycle to work. I hope he doesn't get wet.
   The deer have discovered the garden and our fruit tree saplings. Pea plants seem to be really tasty. There is now a fence all the way around the garden.
   One of the 3 cherry trees we planted is now a cherry stick. No leaves or branches on it. It should come back. The deer started on a second cherry tree, but didn't eat much of it. I figure the deer was full because it eat pea plants and the cherry tree.
   The one cherry tree that had all the nice, red, almost ripe cherries on it, has none, thanks to little birds that went through the fence to get them. It has netting over the top of the fence around it, and the birds didn't get in that way. Darned wild life.
   In the last couple of days, Michaela has learned how to sit up by herself, get on her knees and not hold onto anything and pull herself up to stand. She's working on the how to get down from standing other than letting go and falling. Amy said she caught her holding onto the top of the crib with one hand and turning and bending down to pick up a toy to throw. Amy also said she walked around the crib while holding onto the rail. Michaela will be 7 months old Saturday. Michaela doesn't like being a baby. We need to find someplace else for the play pen because it's by the window and yesterday, she stood up and grabbed hold of the blinds. I guess it's about time to baby proof.
   Chris the llama, who lives behind us scared Chip yesterday morning, and now Chip won't even go to his favorite tree. It looked like Chris was eating, when he scared Chip, so I have no idea what happened. Poor Chip came running back to the house and if he had a tail that wasn't cropped, I'm sure it would have been tucked between his legs as he ran to the house.
   Once again, I'm trying to convince Chip he is a dog and that I am boss. It's really hard to do when I'm the only one who does it. I'm tired of being jumped on and pawed. Tim says he doesn't have any problems with Chip. Chip also has started growling at me and snapping at me when I try to cut his hair. You nick the god one time with a pair of scissors and look what happens. The nick barely broke the skin. I think I'll get him a muzzle. I also think stress from the now lively home has gotten to Chip. He was used to quiet sure and dull. It's not anymore. Jealousy is another of his problems. I'm not suppose to hold anyone but him. He keeps the other 2 dogs away from me.
   All four dogs play together now, which is progress. Unfortunately, Elsa and Sadie say that Jake and Chip don't know how to play. They play tug of war and Jake and Chip never have. Elsa wisely stays out of the way when Jake is playing. She'd get run over and hurt. So instead, she parks at the dogs as they are playing.
   The wind has started and I think I can see some sun. Hopefully, the clouds will burn off. I've got to go. I've got a basket of towels calling me. Again.

Those Darned Robins

   Tim is having robin trouble. A while back, a robin built a nest on top of his ladder that's leaning under the eaves of the shed. Those eggs hatched and flew the coop and Tim got rid of the empty nest. A week or two ago, the same robin, or another one, built another nest on top of the same ladder and laid eggs in it. Now, whenever Tim goes to the shed, this robin dives at his head.
   On Tuesday, Tim planted our fruit trees. A couple of the cherry trees had cherries on them. As soon as he stood up from planting the last cherry tree, this robin gets in the tree, thrashes around, knocking cherries off the tree, having a high old time. Tim thinks he hates robins now.
   Summer has stuck around for a week or so now, so things are starting to grow, at last. I will add, that we had 2 days of 95 degree temperatures, and it was waaaay too hot. Some people are just never satisfied. It's too hot, it's too cold, it's too wet, it's too cloudy, whine, whine whine.
   Michaela is starting to crawl, in between the belly flops. She really likes my old measuring spoons and a wooden spatula.
   I haven't even started sewing yet. I guess if summer really decides to stick around, I should get a jump on it. I have been reading books that I am reviewing for thewmreviewconnection.com. One down, 3 more to go. It keeps me out of trouble.
   My estate sale find of the day is a brand new, still in the box, indoor TV antenna for my kitchen TV. It was one of those things I was going to buy one of these days when I had the money. This one cost me $2.00. People just shake their heads about how I find just what I'm looking for at sales. I thinks it's funny, not haha funny exactly, more like weird. We also stopped at a church yard sale and I bought 2 more cookbooks, because you can never have too many, and a little ceramic fresh cream bottle that looks like it needs daisies in it. I could use some more money, but I really think the chances of finding any at a yard sale are slim. I'll keep my eye out for some, just in case.

All's Good Out Here

   Blogger has been very uncooperative lately, so I haven't been able to post anything, much less, write anything, for a while.
   We are finally suppose to have warm, dry weather for mare than a day at a time. We did have 10% chance of thunderstorms last night, and wouldn't you know it, we actually had them. Today is 20%, at least it was the last time I checked the National Weather Service site, which was last night, so who knows what we'll get.
   Today is my birthday and it has rained a good number of them. I've decided I really need to get in better shape. I look like someone's grandmother. It doesn't matter that I am someone's grandmother.
   Daniel took Amy and I garage/yard saleing yesterday. Amy thinks it's funny how I always find what I want at them. Yesterday, I found an opened bag of fiber fill. It's almost a whole bag and it was on my list of things to get yesterday at Walmart. I also found a hummingbird feeder. My 2 that I had both bit the dust. Now, I have 2 again, because Amy, Daniel and Michaela gave me one for my birthday. It would be nice if the hummingbirds came back now.
   Some of the garden is doing well. I think this isn't going to be a good year for gardens. There will be hope for it if we don't have an early winter.
   I hope everyone has a fun, safe 4th of July. We're staying home and BBQing hamburgers.