A Day Off

It's Sunday, but the sun is hiding. Go figure, on my only day off. I just hope it doesn't rain. I have piles of laundry to catch up on, and I much prefer hanging it out on the line than using the drier, or making the house look like a chinese laundry. I do have lines strung in the bathroom a couple inches from the ceiling and I make use of them on a regular basis, especially once the weather gets cool enough that the wood furnace is going.

Hubby is gone salmon fishing on the Miramichi in New Brunswick, compliments of the kids and I. Out-of-province fishing lisences are expensive but that's what we gifted him for his 40th birthday. Not to mention the logistics of rearranging mine and the teenager's work schedules to accomodate his absence. I'll be glad to see him Tueday evening. When he's away, I find myself craving adult conversation. And all of a sudden I can understand Laurie's brand of lonely. I think, I can. I mean, the kids are here, and they're constantly in and out of my room wanting something or other, but I want the adult back. My long distance carrier is no doubt thrilled since I've been making calls to friends I usually keep in touch with through email. Ah, the cost of adult conversation. Why is the companionship of a mate so often taken for granted?

Empty

Empty. My house is empty. If you don't count the cats and the dog and the goldfish. I am the only human in it. For at least another few hours. Maybe I won't bring the rest of the residents back. Nah. That just wouldn't do. I sure can enjoy this silent empty house while it lasts though. Talk about a vacation! hee hee hee

Hubby is at his aunt's summer cottage in Charleston with the kids, the two little ones, building a deck onto the back. I am home with the teenager (who works during the day, leaving by
6:30 am). I would have stayed at the cottage too, but I had to work on a wedding dress to deliver today, and I have to work at the jewelry store, but not until this evening. Plus the animals wouldn't have liked me for abandoning them without food or water. I am starting to think that teenagers may not be so bad. When he got home yesterday afternoon, he said hi and then went about his business. And later when he saw me sewing on a gazillion beads on the wedding dress, he had sense enough to stay away and let me work in peace. Good boy. We ate leftovers from hubby's birthday party for supper so food prep was totally painless. I am sure enjoying this quiet. And I'm pretty sure that the dog isn't going to rat me out for letting her sleep on the couch. I'm thinkin' I might have to send them away more often...

Too Much of a Good Thing

Definitely. Too much of a good thing... is simply too much. And Too boring. This a sock for Colin, from the same batch of yarn as hubby's socks. Good grief, these are going slow. As much as I like the colours, I am bored out of my mind. I've been receiving packages all week of stuff I acquired on-line, and let me tell you, the pull is strong. Today I'll pick up another package from the post office, and get the privilege of paying duty on it. What is that free-trade crap about anyway??? Anyway. I don't want to turn this little post into a bitch session.

Hey... I started another job. Still doing tailoring 3 days a week, but now I am employed as a diamond pusher. That's not quite right. I am working in a jewelry store, helping people part with their hard earned money on shiny, pretty trinkets. I like it. The other ladies are great, and if it's a slow day, at least there's someone to talk to. And of course there's all that time I get to spend picking and choosing items to separate me from my money. I tell ya, the pull is strong. Didn't I already say that once?? I am so easily influenced. Gee.

This weekend is hubby's 40th birthday. I was planning a big surprise birthday party. Only to find out yesterday that he was talking to friends and inadvertently uninviting them. So I got mad and kind of spilled the beans. So now he knows and is trying not to interfere. Except for saying he won't there for it. Because he doesn't want a party. Liar. He'll love it.

Did anyone else notice that the days are getting shorter?? Damn. Once again I'm driving home from work in the dark. Double Damn.

Thank you

Thanks to everyone who sent kind thoughts about the bunnies.

Life goes on. Although I love raising animals and working this farm, although I might shed the occasional tear, I try not get emotionally attached to my livestock, be it bunnies, chickens, sheep, cow... Animals die. Period. Some of natural causes, some at my hand because their final destination is my dinner plate. I am a farmer. I learned a long while back to take the good with the bad. I don't cry when a fox or coyote thieves and kills my chickens or ducks (I am down to one duck and she's lonely; her mate got snatched in the spring.). I did cry when my milk cow died a year and a half ago. She was wonderful and very productive animal, and her offspring fed my whole family for better part of nine months. Now I not only have to spend money to buy milk and butter and cream, but also meat. I don't know if those animals that produce for the supermarkets are treated humanely. I would venture to say not nearly as humanely or as well as they would be if they lived on my farm.

Does anyone actually think about where their food comes from anymore? Or just complain about the rising costs? Why is it so expensive to eat healthy?

Fleece Artist Curly Locks

Forgive me the crappy photo, but I had major issues trying to photograph this Fleece Artist scarf/shawl thing. The colours are much richer in actuality.

On the bunny front, this morning marked their unexpected demise. The mama bunny isn't such a good mama it appears. I found the babies scattered around the nesting box, under the hay, cold as stone. Needless to say, she will soon find herself evicted from this farm.

Knitting in the Heat

Today, I have the pleasure of sharing with you something extraordinary. If you are a knitter, that is. Or if you find that you can never pass up a learning opportunity. If you haven't yet, go visit Mambocat's Knitting Asylum. In Fiberology 101: The Origin of Yarn, where she discusses the mating rituals of yarn, be advised that the associated photos should come with a "Rated R" warning.

Now some of my own Yarn P0Rn. Sock yarn that is. Latest acquisitions. Hopefully the colours from these batches will swirl around the sock like they did on my hubby's socks, which I find charming to no end.

I grafted the toes on these suckers this afternoon and he's already wearing them. Plus I started on a pair for my son, since there is more than enough left over.

GUESS what??? More baby bunnies! Three alive and well, one didn't make it. They arrived yesterday morning. I found them while doing the morning barn chores before we headed out to the cottage and the lake. That one rabbit sure keeps a low profile and she was early once again. Didn't have nest made or anything. So hubby and I hustled to move her to a bigger cage with a nesting box. One baby is a good size, the other two quite small. They're all wiggly, a good sign.

Rain, Rain, Go Away, Don't Come back 'Til I Say

That's my daughter's version of that song. I think I like it.

Spider webs. I don't know why there are so many considering all this & @%#$*! rain we've been getting. You'd think they'd all keep getting washed away. This year is proof you can't trust the Farmers' Almanac. Dry summer, my arse. The two holly bushes I bought and planted in the spring have actually drowned. I am SO not impressed. Seeing how I actually planted what I purchased in the same season, never mind year. Because I do have a couple currant bushes I bought last year (or was that two years ago?) and they're still in their original pots. Alive, though, and that's better than the hollies. Maybe if I didn't try to change and procrastinated with their planting, they'd still be alive. Hmm.

I am still knitting, but not so much today. Yesterday, I finished a pair of sock for hubby of yarn I acquired on ebay. And I still have a bunch left over enough for at least another pair. Picture of those when I got my batteries recharged. Slow knitting day today, just working a bit on that fuchia cardigan. My left-hand index finger is in a lot of pain. I am starting to suspect arthritis (sp?) because it hurts after a difficult sewing day too. Hubby thinks this bout was brought on by yesterday's marathon knitting. Besides his socks, I knit a scarf/shawl type thing of Fleece Artist curly locks mohair on, get this: size 15mm needles. They were a royal pain in the arse! Anyone want a pair of 15mm needles??? Never again. See, I knit the whole thing up as a triangle on 10mm needles first, didn't like it, tinked the whole thing, and started from scratch on the 15's in a rectangle. I think I cast on 22 stitches or so and knit until I ran out of yarn. It's a decent size, and I'm not redoing it again. Normally I wouldn't even have bought such impractical yarn, but my brain got befuddled by the beeeautiful colours. Very rich. Wait til I get that camera working again!

Lopi and Cats

Lopi. From Iceland. Really. Brought it back all by myself. Not by the postwoman. How cool is that? I loved Iceland. Wish I had spent more time there. The hot springs: wow! And Hot! Image, eh? Anyway, this stuff knits up pretty fast, pattern is not terribly complicated, and I love the colours. That's the back all done and a good start on both fronts. Yes. I will be wearing it this fall and winter and whenever. It's not gonne get to be 18 years old unfinished. Truly!

Apparently Thomas felt he didn't have enough room and HAD to stick his fat feet on James.

James on the other hand looked like he was going to bite his feet off for such an offence.

I could have sworn he winked at me!

There was Knittin' goin' On

I've been knitting. And then I've been finishing stuff I knitted and then I've been thinking about knitting other stuff. On the left are socks for my son, Colin, who will be turning eight in a few short weeks. Crazy stripes with navy for cuffs, heels and toes in 6 ply. They're nice and bright. He should like them considering that I caught him wearing Briggs and Little Tuffy socks earlier this week! And Wiktoria's socks are actually done now, toes grafted and everything. I think that's going to be a Christmas present. They look a little big, but my brother told me she's growing like a weed and just recently started crawling (and getting into everything!). Good for her!

I managed to seam one side of this skirt-wanna-be, to realize a definite problem. Apparently I can't measure, or count, or most likely both. One piece ended up about 2.5cm too long. I am trying to unpick one row (slow going, holy @#^%#!) to even things up. When that's done, I'll cast off and carry on like I didn't screw things up in the first place. A lot of that going on around here.

Good news: I found a home for the 18-year old sweater. I gave it to the woman I bought my sheep from. Not exactly forced her to take it to do with what she will, but close.

And for your amusement, sheep sheering outtake:

The (Mighty) Lahave River

"Dog-Breath" neverendingly fascinated by baby bunnies

Isn't it CUTE?? No name. But definitely showing angora. YA-HOOO!