Moving Right Along....

I have been enjoying a week of unconventional communication..... from intellectual debates with archdeacons to unexpected flattery from a Captain in the army. Even Hubby jumped into the fray.

Hubby and I have long surpassed the days when intellectual conversation of any kind is the norm.... we’ve discussed ad nausium topics of interest and so we generally know where each other stands with most topics. Conversation is usually a comfortable day to day dance of body language, and verbal discourse. Topics usually fall in the category of ongoing events. Rarely we discuss things that we hear on the radio and occasionally we debate topics that come up due to what we read. It’s not bad.... it’s just comfortable. So when opportunities arise on both our parts to exchange witticisms of any kind whether with each other or with others it is most stimulating.

I want to say that most of what occurred this week is due to the fact that technology is so advanced that one can debate online without ever coming face to face. One can be most brave when one is facing a computer screen rather than a person. I’ll be honest, my bravery is pathetic. I’m sure I would never say some of the things that I say if I actually had to look the person in the eye.

Technology, by the way, is at a premium these days in our house. Hubby came home with a surprise yesterday. I am now the proud owner of an iPod and also a new cell phone.... our old phone was becoming antiquated.... (I know... how can a cell phone be antiquated?!!!) so Hubby and I had been talking about getting a new one for a while. We had decided that we may get rid of our regular house phone and just go with cell phones and while we haven’t gone that far yet, we have each got a cell phone.... and WOW is it cool! I can take pictures and send them to my email, I can text message, I can access on-line information, I can listen to music.... all this and communicate verbally too. I spent several hours last night getting to know my cell phone and downloading music to my new iPod. I will be heading down to Victoria next week for training with the Junior Canadian Rangers so Hubby wanted to be sure that I was good with my cell phone and being able to keep in touch... I’m all set with my new gear. I think its great. For a gal who had no clue about technology just a few years ago..... well, I’m certainly not 40, fat and foolish anymore..... just 40 and fat! My daughter hates that word.... so in honour of her... overweight.

Take care and see you all when I get back.

In Honour Of Spring

I've been thinking about Daffodils. I've been thinking of Crocuses. I've been thinking of Hyacinths and Lilys too. In honour of those beautiful flowers I've changed my colours. This is the time of the year when a trip to my local Canadian Tire store sees me trekking home with a variety of bulbs and soil to plant for forcing..... I'm actually later this year than is usual for forcing bulbs. Generally I start in late January and have them ready for the latter part of March. I love a few flowers in the house when winter is still dragging its feet and has not departed north yet and forcing bulbs gives me lots of flowers in the house.
Mostly I like Hyacinths, but I have tried Lilies and Crocuses too.

The days are getting longer now and the sun reaches farther and farther around the westering windows of our house in the evenings. Hubby and I have made our annual forray to the local financial institute for the RRSP contributions of tax time. And more importantly, we have taken the initial steps toward the Renovations to our home in the form of financing. I will be traveling next week so I cannot do anything for the time being. But when I return I will be contacting the contractor and getting a quote for the work that we want done. Then next, to satisfy the banks requirements, we have to get an appraisal on the house for both now and after the renovations are done. After that, it's just a matter of signing the documents and then the work can begin.

Now when I speak of renovations, I mean Renovations. I don't just mean painting the floor and moving furniture around. We will be removing the majority of the roof to accommodate a new set of dormers to open up the rooms upstairs and we will be closing in a deck to accommodate a new office and den/studio. If we can, we will also be putting in an ensuite. And with no more than a change of entrance to the current bathroom we will gain a laundry room albeit small. There may even be a cold storage room too. It all depends on how much the whole thing costs. I am hoping that the office will accommodate a small wood cooking heater/stove so that when the power goes out we have some kind of back up.

So the renovation ideas abound. Spring is just around the corner and I can't wait to see the changes this place will undergo. We are talking about the new flooring and what type of windows to use, we are talking about sinks and toilets and tubs.... yes tubs....(I'll be able to sit in a tub again after 7 years of showers)! We are talking about closets with cedar linings. And with all that we are talking about wood stoves and code requirements..... I'm even talking about a new little car. It is all rather facinating and a whole lot exciting.

Hubby leaves the majority of the design elements to me.... he wants nothing to do with it. Depending on when we can start, we will do the sunroom first if it is too cold to move out. Then we will move out for the summer months into the tent trailer and give the contractor time to remove the roof and put in the dormers.

I'll be posting pictures here as the Renovations continue..... this is what it looks like now....

Happy Valentine's Day

Here's hoping that you are enjoying the romance that everyone deserves on Feb 14th. It's a day when red and white and pink are prevalent. Red roses and white lacey cards and pink tulips and carnations. That is what my house is filled up with. Chocolates abound and so do red heart shaped jelly candy. We here at Nicholsville West farm have a tradition of giving a cut out heart, usually red or pink, with a few words to those we love declaring our undying love. This tradition started with my Grandfather when I was a girl sooooo ..... 35 or so years ago, when he wrote..... Oh my Barbie little Barbie how I love you no one knows, But may you never have to go with a pimple on your nose. I still have that Valentine in my keepsakes, and so began a tradition which has brought laughter and tears and no small amount of heart palpatations.

Hubby and I started our day with a nice sleep in. We never got up till 11:30 a.m. and what a nice sleep in it was. Very relaxing. And more important, very rare! Love, after 17 years together, is very different from the days when we were first together. Sleeping in constitutes romance and though that sounds lame I really appreciated a little cuddle time. No getting up and getting breaakfast for everyone. Hubby got to linger with me and we loved every minute. The minutes before getting up when we roll over and wrap our arms around each other is always the best time of the day.... but on Valentine's day when the minutes become hours.... its just such a lovely, decadent time for both of us.

One of the most romantic things I have ever heard is the story of Ethel and Leo Rutlegde after 50 something years of marriage, both of them in their nineties and Leo's failing health was coming to a close. He had been in and out of consciousness for days and then the day before he died he came to consciousness and Ethel was sitting by waiting by his side as she had always been and slowly he whispered, "you know, I've been very fond of you Ethel my dear."

No grandiose declaration of everlasting love just simple appreciation for the woman who had kept him company all those years.



How could I not love this????!!!

Happy Valentine's Day and I hope you find joy in the caring... just simple joy in the caring with the one you love.

More On The Lives Of The Animals

Evening feeding time is just as much fun as watching the animals waking up in the morning. Hubby has been on feeding duty recently as I have been recuperating from winter and trying to get my head around being alive. So I've been sitting here watching him feed the animals.

Have you ever seen a sheep frolic? They jump in the air and bounce aroung like there is no tomorrow and they usually do this when they are happy. The ram is the best at it but some of the younger ewes do it too. The sheep are most happy when they are about to get their daily quota of grain. They jump and frolic around Hubby like he is a God. Even Honeydew runs to meet him at the gate. the ram and Greig my wither (castrated male) start boinking their heads together.....not because they are mad or upset but just because that is what they do. It's fun I guess. The alpacas line up and parole the fence line and watch from the closest corner as the animals receive their portion of grain. Hubby likes to feed them all alittle by hand so they are used to him and his smell. Honeydew, the llama is most skittish when he tries to feed her by hand. Honeydew has had a halter on her face all year and we have been trying to coax her to let us take t off her but for some reason she just will not let us touch her face.

Once Hubby has laid in the feed on the ground it is fun to watch them jostling for position to get to the feed. Oscar the ram is notorious for jumping under the feed and getting it all over his back as we are laying it out for him. This is something we try to avoid since the hay gets in the wool and makes a right proper mess. Not good when you want to sell the fibre down the line after shearing time. Izzy, one of last year's ewes is also notorious for that too. Jelly, who is an older ewe likes to eat and I mean eat. She gets a nasty look in her eye if you are carrying grain in a bucket and she can't get her head in the bucket right away. Tubby the retarded sheep just puts his head down and eats... like it is a job.... the rest take care of him and push him around when he is in the way or when he needs to go lie under the lean-to.

After the frenzy of feeding is over they all proceed to lay in their food and just chew their cuds while occasionally reaching down for another mouthful to just munch on. Greig and the ram will spend a great deal of time trying to lick up and left over grain that has gotten buried in the snow. The alpacas will go and get a good long drink from the watering bucket.

It's really neat to watch them frolic together and then just get along together. They have cool relationships. Just like people they get along some days better than other and the scrap and fight though rarely..... mostly the male alpacas....

It's neat to watch..... it's better than T.V.

It's getting dark out there now and they will be bedding down soon. I guess I should get ready to go to knit night.... I'm finishing wristlets and that oh so yummy wool for socks that I bought is waiting patiently.

The Farm

I love to watch the animals waking in the morning. As I sit here Honeydew, the llama, has just arisen for her morning stretch. Alpacas and llamas arise like a Camel... they lift their hind quarters first and then lift their front quarters. Honeydew has stretched her neck and then lifted her hind leg and given her front one a gentle scratch using her two toe nails. The rest of the animals in that pen seem to take that as a wake up call. The Oscar the Ram nudges Tubby the retarded sheep to get up and Greig has gotten up for a stretch too. Mishka is the last one to arise. They all head for the area where Hubby last laid grain out for them and they proceed to lick the area to get the last remaining taste from the snow. Tubby has opted to go back to sleep as he has put his head back down.

The male alpacas in the farthest pen are watching the movements of the animals that I have just spoken of. They are not quite ready to get up and move around. It is cold this morning or at least colder than it has been for the last few weeks. Dexter, one of the alpacas, has gotten up now and is patrolling the fence line. The other alpacas are still lying down in the hay by the feeder chewing their cuds and watching Dexter move around. The sun has just come up and the sky is pink and blue with hints of yellow and orange on the bottoms of the clouds and daylight is getting brighter all the time.

The ewes in their pen are just starting to move too. Most of them sleep outside where they can see what is all around them. But some of the youngers ewes like to hang out in the barn at night. They too seem to want more grain as they are checking out the place where the grain is poured onto the soft white snow.

Greig is pawing through the hay in an effort to upturn some clover seeds and get to the yummy stuff. Oscar (the ram) is poking about for the same thing. They are friends but they also butt heads from time to time. Both take care of Tubby the retarded lamb.... I don't know what they will do when he gets taken to the butcher block. Honeydew has decided to lie down again and Mishka the female alpaca has decided to lie with her. They are friends too.

It is such a placid scene and it is very calm to watch.

Later in the day things will get livelier and I will tell you about the manuevers of the animals to get what they want. See ya later...

Back To Bed

Hubby and I have caught a cold.... it's hard to avoid in this lack of humidity. Mine is affecting my balance and Hubby is just having a hard time breathing. Hubby stayed home from school yesterday and I took the kids to school.... I drove our truck when I probably shouldn't have because when I went out through the door yesterday morning the snow was deep and I could barely walk through it with out sidling around as though I was drunk. The curious thing is that I can't walk a straight line but when I sit I'm ok. Anyway, I drove the kids to school without mishap... that's what counts.

When I got home I pulled my old bear routine and went back to bed. It was actually quite nice to be there. I read for a while and I slept for a while and when i woke up I felt better... at least a little bit. Having a sinus infection after falling on your face and smashing your nose doesn't really feel nice!

The whole day was like that. Mostly peaceful with snow falling quietly and the animals poking about in the snow. the afternoon cleared away and we had beautiful sun all afternoon. The temperatures are dipping after the last few weeks of mild weather and the damn snow melting so that the snowmobiling Rangers couldn't go through the most beautiful area on the trail. Murphy's Law! It's all rather beastly, especially those in charge of 4CRPG. But I'm done with that and have had a weary time fronting calls of disappointed people in town. They're gone (4CRPG) and I hope they stay gone... permanently!

It was back to spinning last evening for homework. My goal was to give a light fibre drape. So I chose a lovely caramel merino as my light fibre and gave it drape with Tussah silk which is a lovely champaigne colour. The resulting yarn is gorgeous. I am doing a second sample of this fibre as my first has issues with grist. I have to get the grist right before I am satisfied. I have just combed the merino and loaded the hackles with merino and silk. I will attend to the sliver in a few minutes and then I will spin. But before I do I am headed back to bed.

This is the time for Old Bear to be coming out of hibernation however, this year Old Bear didn't get to hibernate in January with homework and Hubby's back and all, so Old Bear is semi-hibernating this year with morning sleep-ins. It is quite nice actually. As I look out the window waiting for lambing season to begin, there are some lovely snow flakes falling, (just a few), and everything is covered in a blanket of lovely white. This is the picture card from Hallmark. Very peaceful.... and thank heavens for that. Perfect for a sleep in.

So off I go.....back to bed!

Pink

In honour of the upcoming Valentine's Day..... think Pink!

Letters To The Editor

Sometimes you just feel like you have to write one. Here's mine:

Exercise Western Spirit is a misnomer. It should have been called Western Fiasco or at least that is how some Hudson’s Hope people have come to view it. Hudson’s Hope, a scheduled stop on this trip, and home to a Ranger patrol, got sold out for a few beers and good steak. When snow became scarce along the trail of 4CRPG’s ill fated Exercise Western Spirit instead of the "tough getting going" the "tough flew the coop". The portion of the trip between Powder King and Hudson’s Hope should have been an opportunity to experience the Canadian Rangers at their best but instead the officers in charge of Exercise Western Spirit tucked their tails in and used it as an excuse to speed their way to softer comforts. What their reasoning was we can only surmise. The people of Hudson’s Hope who had planned and prepared for months an occasion of community pride, became an occasion of community confusion.

4CRPG has been planning an exercise called Exercise Western Spirit for over a year. The trip was to take 30 members on Light Over Snow Vehicles commonly called snowmobiles across northern British Columbia, northern Alberta, northern Saskatchewan, and northern Manitoba to the coast of Hudson Bay where they would end their journey at Churchill, an ambitious trip of over 3400 km. The basis for this trip as they succinctly put it on their web site was to “showcase the unit capabilities and put to the test the skills and abilities of the Canadian Rangers of 4CRPG. This exercise is also an amazing opportunity for us to meet Canadians and talk about the Canadian Rangers.”

The sad thing is that Exercise Western Spirit and all the Rangers and VIPs traveling on this ambitious trip showcased nothing and had no amazing opportunities with the people of Hudson’s Hope because, in all their wisdom, the officers involved in making the decisions, decided that the steak and beer that the Legion in Fort St. John offered was better than the efforts of the community of Hudson’s Hope.

On February 7th, 2009 the trucks and buses that carried the supplies and people of Exercise Western Spirit rumbled through the town of Chetwynd and on toward Dawson Creek and Fort St. John in an effort to get to their comforts without so much as a sideways glance toward the road leading to Hudson’s Hope.

The Rangers of Hudson’s Hope were left to explain why suddenly Hudson’s Hope wasn’t worth stopping in. The Mayor and the RCMP who had been notified of the event were ready to welcome Western Spirit into the community, the spouses of Rangers and the parents of Junior Rangers who had bought and cooked and prepared food for the 40 people of Western Spirit, were all left high and dry.

Working Through It All

So 4CRPG will not be coming to Hudson's Hope after all. The powers that be have made the decision to by pass Hudson's Hope. Too bad since there are a lot of people who have worked hard to make their visit to HH a joy and a pleasure. It's too bad they didn't think to do that back a year ago when the decision was being made on which route to take. Following through the mountains around Tumbler Ridge might have gotten them farther on snow. Their problem is they have run out of snow. Hudson's Hope is in the grip of it usual February thaw. We are surrounded by ice, very slippery ice, but no snow. Next week we may have snow but right now we don't. No snow... no sleds.

Speaking of snow.... I have finally finished my latest sample of yarn. It is a lovely evergreen colour with shots of blue and purple throughout and over top all, there are little white silk noils. It looks like snow flurries that have landed on an evergreen forrest. I prepped that and got it ready for my books yesterday. I have enough to knit a pair of mittens with a star in the back of the hand.

The wrist has been hurting a lot in the last few days.... probably carpal tunnel syndrome. Knitting and spinning has to be put on hold for now. I'll finish my woven bag today and I'll get the service done for Sunday. I have been putting this off and now need to focus where the focus belongs. Sunday afternoon will be spent making beer and maybe some jerky if Hubby is feeling well enough.

One by one we have succumbed to this nasty cold going around. First Daughter # 1 came home from school hardly able to keep her head up and then I dropped with the clogged nose. Daughter # 2 managed to hold off till yesterday and then Hubby. He has been running a temperature all night long. I'm surprised that we have held off as long as we have. Everyone in around town has had it... the school is peppered with it..... I can't see how you can avoid it.

Today if my wrist doesn't give out again I will be working on the next spun sample.... giving an inelastic fibre memory. I will use llama for the inelastic fibre and I will use wool to give it memory. I'm sure it will be lovely. If the weather is as nice today as it was yesterday... I'll even take my wheel outside in this beautifull sunshine. It may have scared off 4CRPG but I love the sun....

Spinning Up A Storm.. Or At Least A Few Flurries

I've spun lots this last week or at least it seems that way. When I look in my book I am satisfied that I have made headway but yet I think I should be farther along in my assignment. I thought I was finished mohair but when I put my mohair/wool sample in my book it looked pathetic and so I proceeded to start again. Four mohair samples and I am finally finished them all.

I can safely say that I don't really care for mohair. It's not that I won't ever spin the stuff again but it's not something that I'll want to do too often. Mohair is good for specific purposes like a yarn that is really strong. I know I am going to be spinning mohair again for this assignment especially for the braid. I do have a lovely blend of mohair and silk which I will be using for the braid component of this year's work. But generally mohair is not a nice fibre to spin unless it is in a blend and only a small portion then.

I blended merino and polwarth and silk noils today and came up with a lovely nubbly yarn. The assignment called for a textured yarn using a silk blend. It is very pretty. I spun enough so that I can knit something with it too.

Tonight Hubby is off with the Rangers and I'm expecting he will be late. I am making bread as I am writing this because I will be helping to feed 40 men who are with the 4CRPG group arriving by ski doo tomorrow sometime. Since I have to stay up till the bread is baked I might as well spin and write. I spun some of the merino for Daughter #2's leg warmers. It is a lovely blue and will be soft and just right for what she wants.

I know I won't have much time to spin for the next few days as I will be busy helping out with the JCRs and with this Western Spirit expedition. Hubby is strung out and is very worried that it won't come off well. He should have left it in my hands. Make the best of it there is no snow... or a least very little. How in the world are they going to ski doo on back country that has no snow. It should be interesting.

I am staying up no matter how long it takes. I have to find out what happened. After dinner tonight I headed off to Knit Night. Hubby called me while I was there and said I had to come home since the guys were out in the bush stranded and he had to go pick them up. I am dying to hear this story. I'm sure that they had no choice but to stop since there just couldn't have been enough snow.

So here I sit baking and spinning in the quiet of the night waiting..... waiting..... and spinning. It's just too bad that while I'm spinning up a storm I couldn't spin up a few flurries to help these poor ski dooers on their way.

Ouch! That Hurt!

I fell and fell hard. Women who are as big as I am don't fall softly. We fall and we fall hard. I tripped and where did I trip??? I tripped in the church. This is a very good place to trip and fall because you can start talking to God right away. Things like,
"OK God, am I still alive?" and "Why would I be punished by a fall such as this in your house?" and "Are you trying to tell me something." Then there is, "#$@$@@%@ God, that hurts!" and @#$#^*&^ how do I get up out of this God when everything is hurting so badly," and, "(sigh) I think I'll just stay here on the floor." Then there was, "God, that was a nasty lesson in humility!" and "Am I that bad???" and "Holy Cow..... sorry God I was a bit dilusional there." What it comes down to is, "Ouch! That hurt."

I have been nursing sore body parts ever since. Particularly my nose. I thought I had broken it since it was what broke my fall. Daughter #2 was there at the time and had the presence of thought to go get an ice pack for me. Since there was no ice my ice pack came in a very strange shape. There I sat on the floor of the sanctuary (never did I need that more) bleeding (from the nose that broke my fall) crying and laughing at the same time. Why laughing you ask? Because I had a pack of frozen wieners on my nose.... in the church..... on the floor.....

I am happy to report that the nose is not broken. My knee is only bruised and my elbow is slightly skinned out. I'll live.

I fell again the next day. This time the dog tripped me. I walked out onto the deck at my house.... the dog was lying peacefully. She looked up and noticed I was coming which must mean there are deer in the yard because the owner (me) doesn't come out on the deck this time of the year without there being deer around. She spotted one which happened to be on the other side of me and so she proceeded to run pell mell for the deer, taking me out like a bowling pin in the process. I landed on the top two steps with my head slamming against the rail.... now I have a bruise on my hip and a golf ball sized lump on my head. Ouch! That hurt!

Today I managed to get to the church for a meeting with the Archdeacon (demon as he lightly calls himself) of the Anglican church, the Lutheran pastor for the parish of Dawson Creek, and a retired UC minister. I, as lay preacher here at St Peter's Church, thought this would be a good meeting to enable this parish to move forward, since our deacon just retired. Instead we went backwards. I am not allowed to serve the Reserve Sacrament any more and as a lay preacher I don't think I ever was since this Bishop was installed. Somehow, after I was given permission with the old Bishop before he retired, something went wrong. The new Bishop re-instated me as a lay reader after he became Bishop, but somehow my full abilities were limited because of new rules in the National Anglican Church.... someone forgot to tell me that. For the last five years I've been serving Reserve Sacrament and not sanctioned by the greater church.

Sunday I fell!
Monday I fell!
Tuesday I fell from grace!

I am afraid of tomorrow.

The Dark Days Are Over

It's Feb 2nd.... and while that doesn't make it spring it does mean that the really short days are over. I noticed last evening that at 6 p.m. there was still light in the sky. This morning Hubby and the girls just left for school and there is light in the sky. I really like the fact that the days are getting longer.

Our living room faces due South and so in the day while the sun is still low in the sky the room is bathed in glorious sunshine. It makes for a wonderful feeling to sit where that sun shines full on me and get the benefits of vitamin D. I spin and feel that warmth on me and patiently wait till spring when I can do the same outdoors on the deck.

The thing that I don't like about February is the fact that the snow is melting and leaving treacherous ice in its wake. There's not a place you can walk without feeling like your feet are going to fly out from under you and land you on your back with a knob forming on the back of your head.

The other thing I don't like about this time of the year is the poo. It is everywhere. Dog poo, in frozen chunks shows its disgusting lumps through the white of the snow and just grosses me out. Llama poo is everywhere in great towering piles. Alpaca poo spreads out from one spot to another like a wave of algae on an infested lake. Sheep poo is just a murky squashy mess to walk in.... it is everywhere... you can't avoid it. The cats bury theirs but you can smell it under the deck waiting to make it's spring debut until I can pour bleach (two or three containers) over it to lessen the stench. Why can't animals use a toilet like people.... then it just disintegrates underground.

Hubby wants a little tractor so that he can pile up the poo to compost and be turned to soil. I'm beginning to think this wouldn't be such a bad idea. I've never had this much poo to deal with.....

I remember one of the first water colours that I painted was of seagulls on the rocks by the sea shore and I painted their droppings and all. The one thing I have discovered is that people do not want to buy paintings where poo is prevalent. We like to gloss over the fact that faeces are a fact of life and if you don't like it you had better not farm or bird watch either. Many times I have been watching chickadees come to our feeder and thought how gross the feeder looks with all the bird poo on it. Even the chicken coop is a mass of poo this time of the year. Makes you almost long for some snow to cover it up....

The fact is that I like to shovel the stuff in the evenings when it is frozen but not frozen in to the snow yet. That way you can shovel it up and away without gagging from the smell. Frozen poo is much better to deal with than soft thawed decaying stuff.

February is heart and stroke month. It's Valentine's month. It's roses and get romantic month but I think it should be ice and poo month! Can't wait till March.