Sunday, March 18, 2007

Someone's Over-achieving



Found this beauty in the hen house last week. Unbelievable! Someone in the henhouse is setting new records for egg size that's for sure. Not too much other news on the farm front. Sheared the last of my lambs. I need to decide if I want to stay in the wool business or maybe just raise enough meat sheep to eat every year. Oddly enough I can buy wool cheaper than I can raise it but there is no guarantee that that will last. Ahh, decisions decisions.

On the needles are socks for Katie who is now on the men's rowing team at school and spends much of her spare time on the water and wet. So washable wool socks ... and more wool socks ... and ... well you get the picture. And I am starting a pair of Norwegian mittens ... my first foray into stranded knitting. What could possible go wrong.

On the wool front ... I was given some white Lincoln lamb's wool ... there are few things that are more beautiful. So I will wash it today and get it out to dry. No time to get much else done with it but it should still be here I get back. I have several other Lincoln lamb fleeces that are done so I am hoping to make a sweater out of them eventually. It should wear forever!

I head back to Japan on Saturday. I think it will be ok this time. Cold though after what has been the warmest March ever here. I think it might still be flurrying there. But soon it will be cherry blossom season which is amazing ... there is no other way to describe it really. And now that I have broken the code on the digital camera I will be able to post pictures. Later ....

And when I saw

That you would not come again

I barred the door

So none could enter.

Sunday, March 11, 2007

Home on the Range


So, I finally have the pics of the sweater .... which did look better after blocking but which will never be an office sweater. I was a bit disappointed by that ... but it will make a great around the house sweater. In the meantime I am busy looking through all of my knitting books and patterns in the hope that I will find my next sweater project. And since I am now in Idaho I have even more patterns to choose from. Ahhhh ... it is so good to be home.

Today, I will head out to check on my lambs and see about shearing them and tomorrow I go out to help another friend of mine shear his sheep. I have cleaned out the chicken coop and done some repair work in the barn. This is definitely my kind of vacation. Next week I will get the garden cleaned up some and then wander around aimlessly looking for some more to do. If only I could order from my seed catalogs ....
The weather here has been amazing! Mostly 50's and 60's. In Japan it has decided to snow a bit. Not enough to matter, really, but I am sure it is appreciated. But here, we will have perfect shearing weather ... dry and just warm enough that you can work in a T-shirt without catching pneumonia. Now if none of the rams try to kill me all will be well. And I should have the chance to buy some beautiful fleeces ... 'cause you can never have enough wool.
Being home has been fun and a little weird. It is sad how everything has moved on without you. Your niche is filled with other people and other things. And everyone has a life that really doesn't have room for you. There is some shifting about of schedules and things to accommodate but it still seems odd. I know that when I get to move back home that things will shift to normal over time ... but for now I am a sort of guest. And yet, it is still heaven being home.
Rising before dawn,
In the dying moon's fair light
I journeyed home.