I have started to work on the projects that are backed up from BBA (before broken arm). This is a Jacob wool blanket for a local Jacob breeder. The wool was spun at Yolo Wool Mill. It’s very open right now at 4 epi but I have notes from the last blanket I did using this yarn and the blanket came out great. I’m keeping my fingers crossed. But now I’ll have to wait a week (at least). I’m leaving in the morning for Michigan and Vermont! I’ll take photos!
The lambs in the last post are 10 days old now and yesterday I let them into the pasture with all the other sheep. Last night I found the little ram lamb limping and I diagnosed a broken leg, but wasn’t sure where. I took him to see my vet today and she came up with this splint to immobilize the leg. The break is at the top of the tibia and this splint holds the joints on either side immobile. We’ll leave it on about 3 weeks and see how he is.
While I had my camera in the barn I took other photos.
Amaryllis, the donkey.
Jasmine, one of my son’s does. He has gone to his summer job and I’m milking the goats that are left.
Ewes and ewe lambs on the pasture.
These ram lambs were so happy to get out onto the pasture after being in a dry lot getting hay for weeks. I have to keep them separate from the ewes now so my options are more limited. This pasture now has plenty of feed.
This is trefoil, one of my favorite flowers, and good sheep feed. There is a lot of it in that ram pasture.
My husband came back from the hardware store and told me he bought something for me. The other day when I was irrigating I broke the only shovel that I could find –one with the handle taped. So this is MY shovel.
I guess its normal for people in cold climates to have lambs later in the year, but June seems pretty late for me. This is Hillside Sidney with ram and ewe lambs born a couple of days ago. I got Sidney along with 5 other sheep in February and there had been a ram escape at the previous owner’s farm.
Here is one of the things on the list for today. I have lots of buttons waiting to be drilled and sanded. I like to do a lot at once because it’s kind of a dirty job–horn dust in the hair and all over. I want to have a new batch of buttons for the Spinners Day on the Farm in Healdsburg tomorrow.
This has been quite a week–nothing having to do with my business. My daughter flew in from Vermont last Friday and her boyfriend got here from Texas on Saturday. They both left this morning. My youngest son, Chris, will leave today for his summer job. Yesterday the Empty Nest thing hit me. But here is a glimpse of how we spent our week.
We spent a day in San Francisco–taking the ferry to Alcatraz, watching the sea lions at Pier 39, visiting Coit Tower, and ending with a walk on the Golden Gate Bridge and a visit to the Marin Headlands for a look over the bay.
Isn’t this a perfect plant to have at a prison? Look at those spines. Actually, this was part of a decorative garden. The employee families used to lived on Alcatraz and had normal lives other than the fact that the kids took a ferry to school.
This photo is taken from Marin County, northwest of the Golden Gate. Alcatraz is the island to the left of the north tower and San Francisco is south of the bridge.
Katie celebrated her 21st birthday. I guess this was the first time she has tried to blow out candles with her hair not in a ponytail…or maybe its just the number of candles that was a challenge.
Katie and Aaron painted the barn!!!
We visited son and daughter-in-law in Pollock Pines and drove up to the Forest Service helispot where Matt works so that Aaron (from TX) could see what real mountains look like.
We also went back to San Francisco to see the show, Wicked. This is the story that explains the history of the Wicked Witch and the Good Witch in the Wizard of Oz, including how the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Cowardly Lion originated. It is an excellent show–well-done and very funny. It’s a great experience if you ever get the chance to see it.
Here is the culmination of the weekend. Chris, the #3 kid, graduated. He leaves for Lake Shasta today so he can start work tomorrow morning on a Forest Service Hotshot crew. He spent all night at Grad Night and I hope we can wake him up in time to get there before dark today!
Tomorrow–back to work for me. I have ignored everything. I have wool to sort and get to the mill, buttons to finish, looms to warp, classes to plan, website to update, etc. My husband now has 2 months off (teacher) and his next task is to enlarge my shop/classroom! We’d better get busy. Maybe that will keep me from realizing that there are no happy little faces in my house anymore.
