I Went to See a Man About a Dog

Growing up, my Dad was a master of the the euphemism. It took me forever to figure out that when he said he was "going to see a man about a dog" he wasn't really going to see a man about a dog. In fact, he was taking a leak. Yet another euphemism. It's a wonder I don't need therapy.

Anyhoo, today I went to see a man about a dog. Only I really did go see a man about a dog. Not just any ol' dog. A beautiful little 3 1/2 month old Great Pyrenees girl (little being a relative term).

It's the logical next step in our fiber farm plans. The sheep and chickens have been safe in their arrangement so far. But we had an experience listening to the sounds of a pack of dogs not to long ago that made the hairs on our heads stand on end. Harvest time will be coming soon and that will bring out the coyotes in droves.

I'm going to sleep better at night knowing Willa is on duty. Willamina in German means The Diligent Guardian.

She left behind an angora goat and peacocks as sleeping companions. But I have no doubt in time she'll find someone to snuggle up with here. She's already staked her boundaries and let everyone know that she's the new Head Farm Dog in Charge. I'm in love. It's going to be hard to let her do her job and not love on her too much.

Little by Little, Bit by Bit

Re-establishing a farm after forty years of neglect sometimes seems like a monumental task. But I'm plugging away at it and starting to make some progress. There's a lot of behind-the-scenes kind of stuff that goes on around here that you never know about. However, this week we're going to have some exciting additions to the farm. And I'm not just talking about Pebbles and Bam Bam here.

Stay tuned!

You Saw Them Here First Folks

We've got a shot at Vegas baby! I'm telling you, next years winners of America's Got Talent are right here on the farm. They work hard and practice every day.

May I present...The Barnyard Pirates rehearsing their own rendition of dueling banjos...

Adding to the Flock

When I broached the subject of adding a few more must-have Shetland mules to our flock the Engineer strongly suggested we wait until next year. He is right. I know we should wait. But that doesn't mean I want to. Theresa says they're like Lay's potato chips. I have to agree.

But I'm not one to do what I'm told. Or to do what I should. So I added more sheep to our flock anyway. Last night I turned this,

into this.


Mwah, ha, ha, ha. Nobody can tell me I can't have something. Not nobody, not nohow.

I think I'll make it a friend tonight.

Life In The Fast Lane

A conversation with Milah the other day got me to thinking about how much my life has changed over the past ten years. There was a day where I lived in the city and had a high tech telecommunications job with all of it's high tech demands. Meetings. Deadlines. Pressure.

Now that I'm a yarn and egg farmer I realize I still have meetings, deadlines and pressure. It's a tough job. Not everyone is cut out for it. I mean just watch the madness at one of our board meetings...



That wool growing and egg gathering business is seriously demanding. And the traffic on the way to work is just brutal. But somebody's got to do it.

(I'm just very, very grateful that the Engineer allows it to be me.)

Technical Difficulties

"It's just a bunch of half-square triangles. How hard could that be?" That's what I said to myself when I saw the quilt and decided to sign up for the class. Well let me tell you folks, it's a heck of a lot harder than it looks.

The fact that Milah didn't hold me down and pound little knots all over my head for getting us into this mess during our class yesterday is a testament to her good nature. We had our poor instructor, Kay, hopping trying to fix our blocks. In our defense we both had some technical difficulties with our machines. At first my Janome Jem was smooshing my 1/4 inch foot so it was more like a 3/8 inch foot. Then Milah's featherweight didn't want to cooperate at all.


Tell me she doesn't look like she's thinking "OMG, where did these women come from?" in this picture.

By the end of the three hour class, after resolving our technical problems, telling more than a few funny stories, eating lots of chocolate and having a few hot flashes we still didn't have a completed block. We did however notice if we combined our pieces together it at least looked like we accomplished something. We make a good team. Just not a particularly efficient one. :)

Photographing Shetlands

Come to find out, photographing other's sheep is WAY easier than photographing my own. You get that "Who the heck are you and what is that in your hand?" thirty-second hesitation before they come and try to eat your camera strap. The rams at Sheep Street were particularly curious about the camera. You can just tell he's wondering if it tastes good.

From the get go I've insisted that I don't want a ram. And that I don't want to become a breeder. I just wanted to have fiber pets. But seeing these guys up close in all their rugged handsomeness makes my knees weak.
This one below reminds me of a dog my Aunt Martha used to have many moons ago. Don't you just love his bi-colored horns? I wasn't just enamored with the boys either. This shy little girl stole my heart.

If I thought I would have gotten away with it I would have tried to stick her in my pocket and bring her home with me. I just love her. We bonded. We made a connection. We're meant to be together.
I'll be back my little friend. I'll be back.