Finally it is spring break and like all good vacations we have started ours with sickness. Daughter #1 was the first to succumb. Vomiting is something no one likes. then Hubby came down with a cough and runny nose and now Daughter #2 has started in with vomiting this evening. I live in fear. I really could do without this nasty vomiting and I know Hubby is hoping it will pass him by too. Not likely. It has hit almost every house in this town at some point of the year. I guess our home couldn't avoid it forever.
I am expecting that if we can just get past this next few days hopefully the rest of spring break will be restful and easy. I get up each morning and look out on my sheep and watch to see if there are any new additions. Fanny and Red and Jelly are pregnant. I am not sure that any of the others are pregnant but those three are for sure. Fanny looks as if she might burst at any minute. Jelly is big, but she always has been. Little Red is as broad as she is long. All three have been pregnant before so I am hoping that there will be no problems.
The girls are excited to have lambs coming. To be honest so am I. It is so neat to see these little cute things bouncing around, and they do bounce. They are happy little creatures. We did not breed the alpaca this year as she is too young yet. She will be bred this July. 11 1/2 months is the gestation period for the alpaca. So if she is bred in July she will have her cria (baby) in June 2010. A long time to wait but that will be an exciting time for us too. Being new to the farming game is cool. We are more excited than kids waiting for Christmas morning.
I am also hoping to get quite a bit of work done on my level 2 homework. There finally is a light at the end of the tunnel. I only have 5 questions left to do. Woolen spinning, Navajo spindle spinning, sweater calculations, colour blending and my 25 hour project. I will be glad to get it done as I am itching to start some other projects. I have wool calling to me wanting to be spun. I have a shawl on knitting needles that is needing to be finished. I have a new loom that wants threading and an old loom with a weaving on it that needs finishing. I have rug warp that needs locker hooking too. All these projects are projects I'm really looking forward to getting done.
Then there is the house. We are hoping that the house renovations will begin soon. I am now awaiting the appraisal and the banks finalization of the money set up. That looks good but the appraisal is late by only a day but I'm hoping that Monday it will be ready and then we have an appointment with the bank. With any luck we will begin by the latter part of this week. There will be packing to do as we have to clear out the top floor of the house. But we don't have to have that done until later in the month. The contractor will begin on the front of the house and for that we don't have to do anything. We may even be able to stay in the house while the work is being done upstairs. that is exciting too. All in all it is exciting times for us... now if I can just get Daughter #2 through this next few hours hopefully she will be on the mend and we can move forward with no other afflictions...... I live in hope.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
What's Ahead!
So my first tri loom weaving came off the loom tonight. I finished my piece on the 36" loom meanwhile I have a fleece in the sink washing to prep for the next bit of spinning in my level 2 homework. I am spinning for my braid. I did some of the spinning but didn't have enough so I am working on some more. Tomorrow will be a day of work. Today was not. Today I exercised and now I am paying for it. My back is killing me.
Once I have the spinning for my braid done then I will carry on working on my blends. I am just about finished.... well at least I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I need two more blends and then I only have to spin yarn for my colour wheel blends. That shouldn't be too hard. Yeah right! There's the sweater calculation and the 25 hour project. Onward and upward. But it is getting harder to concentrate as I have more on my mind as the house renovations get closer. I will just have to buckle down and keep going. I want to get it done before I go to Olds. I want to have my mark back by the time I leave to drive there. I don't want that hanging over my head while embarking on the next level.
Meanwhile my big tri loom is calling to me and I want to start a project on that. I bought beautiful mohair boucle and merino fingering weight yarn to do a shawl..... but that will be my reward for when I finish my level 2 homework. I can't wait. I will warp up the 36" tri loom tomorrow and carry on with that as I need four triangles in order to finish this project. I think it will be lovely. Green and cream for two triangles and cream and green for two triangles, altogether making one sweet baby blanket. It should be nice.
I still have my pink lace project too. Yikes! There is a lot of work to be done before June. I had better go do it.
Once I have the spinning for my braid done then I will carry on working on my blends. I am just about finished.... well at least I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I need two more blends and then I only have to spin yarn for my colour wheel blends. That shouldn't be too hard. Yeah right! There's the sweater calculation and the 25 hour project. Onward and upward. But it is getting harder to concentrate as I have more on my mind as the house renovations get closer. I will just have to buckle down and keep going. I want to get it done before I go to Olds. I want to have my mark back by the time I leave to drive there. I don't want that hanging over my head while embarking on the next level.
Meanwhile my big tri loom is calling to me and I want to start a project on that. I bought beautiful mohair boucle and merino fingering weight yarn to do a shawl..... but that will be my reward for when I finish my level 2 homework. I can't wait. I will warp up the 36" tri loom tomorrow and carry on with that as I need four triangles in order to finish this project. I think it will be lovely. Green and cream for two triangles and cream and green for two triangles, altogether making one sweet baby blanket. It should be nice.
I still have my pink lace project too. Yikes! There is a lot of work to be done before June. I had better go do it.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Monday, March 23, 2009
More On The Tri Loom Workshop
To add to what I said earlier about the tri loom workshop.... Friday started with the worst snow storm of the year.... and it was the first day of spring. Usually this is neither here nor there since March is usually a month like a mad dog in Nefoundland and I'm a good Newfy.... in other words I'm used to snow in March. But for some reason when I woke up on March 21 this year at 4:30 a.m. (that was bad enough) and looked out my window to see the street light opliterated by snow falling I was most upset. Meanwhile Daughter #2 came to me and said, "Mom my sinuses are really blocked and I'm coughing too much to sleep." This is not good! Hubby and I are supposed to be going window shopping (that doesn't mean looking through windows at items for sale that means shopping for windows for the new addition) in just a few hours, after which I am supposed to take Hubby to the airport before a lovely weekend of spinning and weaving and drinking tea.
Daughter #2 has sinuses so bad that her nose is swolen. She looks like sh--! I can't leave this poor child to the mercy of Mudder. She is likely to poor molases and Buckly's down her throat! And then there is my ailing father. Fadder has serious health issues and even a cold can land him in the hospital. I know this is the end of my workshop and retreat. My brain begins furiously working to figure out what I can do..... but by 7 a.m. and full daylight, I am resigned to my by now coughing daughter holding me back. I finally admit to Hubby who is crawling out of bed that I can't go and he has to get a ride to the airport with his travelling partner.
We get Daughter #1 ready for school and I proceed to load up Daughter #2 with medication while Hubby drives Daughter #1 to school. A short while later Hubby arrives home and says that he just passed his ride, who has already left. Panic sets in because now I know I am going to be driving in the, by now, heavy snow fall. I call my wonderful friend who was supposed to put me up for the night, with the news that I won't be coming. Disappointment abounds on all sides. I have told her that maybe I can make it to the workshop the next day. But when Hubby arrives with the news of his missed ride I call again to let her know that I will be coming after all and that I have no choice but to leave Daughter #1 and 2 with the parents and hope that Fadder doesn't catch anything. WF (wonderful friend) says that I can bring Daughter #2 with me..... Solution at last! Fadder won't get sick, Hubby will make it to the airport and I will get to have a spinning day and my tri loom workshop.... I might even get in some window shopping. And so begins the fury to get ready!
Packing was a mad scrabble and I through myself into forgetting half of what I needed including fibre for weaving.... I'd like to know how a person can weave if they forget their weaving yarn..... obviously my head is not screwed on.... it didn't matter as I'm almost stashless anyway.... that's bad... bad, bad, bad! Being stashless is like being nacked. ACK! (I'm not completely stashless as it turns out I have discovered this morning as there was a few suitable skeins of yarn in a drawer that I had forgotten about. However I am already planning atri loom project with that stuff too!)
The day progressed as planned except I ended up in the ditch at WF's place. (This was no biggy as another friend... lets call her GF for good friend, came along and pulled me out of the ditch with their truck ... and there was no damage either.) I even got to learn how to knit a mobias scarf at a different workshop on Friday night (the snow was grotesque when we came out of that one). The only drawback was that Daughter #1 had to spend the weekend with my parents which requires sainthood!
The snow fell and the wind blew and it was more winter than spring. Driving was treacherous, but I got my windows picked out. And I loved learning how to weave on the tri loom. The instructor was scarey but that's another story for another day.
Daughter #2 has sinuses so bad that her nose is swolen. She looks like sh--! I can't leave this poor child to the mercy of Mudder. She is likely to poor molases and Buckly's down her throat! And then there is my ailing father. Fadder has serious health issues and even a cold can land him in the hospital. I know this is the end of my workshop and retreat. My brain begins furiously working to figure out what I can do..... but by 7 a.m. and full daylight, I am resigned to my by now coughing daughter holding me back. I finally admit to Hubby who is crawling out of bed that I can't go and he has to get a ride to the airport with his travelling partner.
We get Daughter #1 ready for school and I proceed to load up Daughter #2 with medication while Hubby drives Daughter #1 to school. A short while later Hubby arrives home and says that he just passed his ride, who has already left. Panic sets in because now I know I am going to be driving in the, by now, heavy snow fall. I call my wonderful friend who was supposed to put me up for the night, with the news that I won't be coming. Disappointment abounds on all sides. I have told her that maybe I can make it to the workshop the next day. But when Hubby arrives with the news of his missed ride I call again to let her know that I will be coming after all and that I have no choice but to leave Daughter #1 and 2 with the parents and hope that Fadder doesn't catch anything. WF (wonderful friend) says that I can bring Daughter #2 with me..... Solution at last! Fadder won't get sick, Hubby will make it to the airport and I will get to have a spinning day and my tri loom workshop.... I might even get in some window shopping. And so begins the fury to get ready!
Packing was a mad scrabble and I through myself into forgetting half of what I needed including fibre for weaving.... I'd like to know how a person can weave if they forget their weaving yarn..... obviously my head is not screwed on.... it didn't matter as I'm almost stashless anyway.... that's bad... bad, bad, bad! Being stashless is like being nacked. ACK! (I'm not completely stashless as it turns out I have discovered this morning as there was a few suitable skeins of yarn in a drawer that I had forgotten about. However I am already planning atri loom project with that stuff too!)
The day progressed as planned except I ended up in the ditch at WF's place. (This was no biggy as another friend... lets call her GF for good friend, came along and pulled me out of the ditch with their truck ... and there was no damage either.) I even got to learn how to knit a mobias scarf at a different workshop on Friday night (the snow was grotesque when we came out of that one). The only drawback was that Daughter #1 had to spend the weekend with my parents which requires sainthood!
The snow fell and the wind blew and it was more winter than spring. Driving was treacherous, but I got my windows picked out. And I loved learning how to weave on the tri loom. The instructor was scarey but that's another story for another day.
Tri Loom Workshop
I just got home last night from a great workshop. I went to FSJ to learn how to weave on a triangular loom. I now have a new 7 foot triangular loom and a 3 foot triangular loom. I haven't started weaving on the 7 foot loom yet as I want to try spinning fibre for that and of course my level 2 homework comes first. I did however learn three different methods for weaving on my 3" loom. I have the first part of a shawl that I started on the 3" loom. It is green boucle and cream wool, and it is lovely so far. I do have a tendency towards green and cream.
I think I will try several triangles woven on the small loom with acrylic before I get the nerve up to try my homespun. It is so much work to get all the spinning done for a project like that that I want to make sure that I really know what I am doing before I start something with my own wool.
This was a really wonder workshop to do and for a while I was thinking that I might not be able to go since we had a spring blizzard on Friday and I wasn't sure we were going to be able to drive in. But Hubby had to fly to Comox for a workshop of his own and so we headed in to FSJ in spite of everything. Daughter #2 came with me since she had a cold and I couldn't leave her with my parents one of whom can't handle getting sick at this point. I am pleased to say that she was very good and kept herself occupied with a square loom of her own. Poor Daughter #1 got stuck grandparent sitting. She didn't even get paid like she would if she were babysitting. "No fair Mom!" she said, and I felt really bad for her. But she was in school when we left and I couldn't drag her along.
I expect that this tri loom workshop will stand me in good stead for a long time to come as I hope to be able to weave lots of things on these looms. So I better get to it if I am going to get anything finished.
I think I will try several triangles woven on the small loom with acrylic before I get the nerve up to try my homespun. It is so much work to get all the spinning done for a project like that that I want to make sure that I really know what I am doing before I start something with my own wool.
This was a really wonder workshop to do and for a while I was thinking that I might not be able to go since we had a spring blizzard on Friday and I wasn't sure we were going to be able to drive in. But Hubby had to fly to Comox for a workshop of his own and so we headed in to FSJ in spite of everything. Daughter #2 came with me since she had a cold and I couldn't leave her with my parents one of whom can't handle getting sick at this point. I am pleased to say that she was very good and kept herself occupied with a square loom of her own. Poor Daughter #1 got stuck grandparent sitting. She didn't even get paid like she would if she were babysitting. "No fair Mom!" she said, and I felt really bad for her. But she was in school when we left and I couldn't drag her along.
I expect that this tri loom workshop will stand me in good stead for a long time to come as I hope to be able to weave lots of things on these looms. So I better get to it if I am going to get anything finished.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Everyting Old Is New Again
I really can't tell you what people are going to think. I'm sure they are going to think Hubby and I have lost it altogether. But then I've always said that age is just a state of mind. I always hope that my mind is considered young.... even though some days I feel like I'm positively ancient.
Hubby and I have decided that in the process of financing the renovations that we should finance a new vehicle as well. It is part of staying young.... buying a new vehicle ... and of course the vehicle that we have chosen to buy... will add to the fun of life quite a bit.
Now sit down because when I tell you the kind of car that we are buying you will laugh your guts out. We are buying a Firefly convertible!
Ok so those of you who know us will know too that this was the first car that we ever bought after we were married. We drove around in 1992 - 1994 a firefly convertible and drove it across Canada twice. It is a delicate thing telling people that they are too old for such vices but better that than become an aging alcoholic who makes a fool of themselves at events. (I've known a few of them!)
I want to use the car as a promotional vehicle for my business.... I want to paint Ye Olde Batt on the side of the car so that I can call it my Batt mobile. Hee hee!
It is white with a black vinyl roof (that doesn't work and will need replacing). But otherwise for an ancient car it is in great shape. I expect that Hubby and I will have to get the engine rebuilt at some point but hopefully not for a while. We both have to renew our know how on a standard because neither one of us has the proficiency to drive standard.
But either way the Batt mobile is in our future and we will just have to let every one know that old fogies like to have fun too!
Hubby and I have decided that in the process of financing the renovations that we should finance a new vehicle as well. It is part of staying young.... buying a new vehicle ... and of course the vehicle that we have chosen to buy... will add to the fun of life quite a bit.
Now sit down because when I tell you the kind of car that we are buying you will laugh your guts out. We are buying a Firefly convertible!
Ok so those of you who know us will know too that this was the first car that we ever bought after we were married. We drove around in 1992 - 1994 a firefly convertible and drove it across Canada twice. It is a delicate thing telling people that they are too old for such vices but better that than become an aging alcoholic who makes a fool of themselves at events. (I've known a few of them!)
I want to use the car as a promotional vehicle for my business.... I want to paint Ye Olde Batt on the side of the car so that I can call it my Batt mobile. Hee hee!
It is white with a black vinyl roof (that doesn't work and will need replacing). But otherwise for an ancient car it is in great shape. I expect that Hubby and I will have to get the engine rebuilt at some point but hopefully not for a while. We both have to renew our know how on a standard because neither one of us has the proficiency to drive standard.
But either way the Batt mobile is in our future and we will just have to let every one know that old fogies like to have fun too!
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Blah! Cold!
It's still cold.... -31 : \ I am not impressed. We were all up at 6 a.m. this morning to get the girls on the bus for he regional science fair which is being held in FSJ today. Daughter #1 won in her category for an experiment in acidic soil and plant growth. Daughter #2 won in her category for an experiment in food tasting and how smell affects taste. The standards are very high at the regional level so we will see how they do.
I am taking my mom and heading to FSJ later this morning to bare witness to the event and to do a little shopping too. I need batteries for my camera so that I can post pics here of my weaving. A few groceries will make it into my cart and hopefully a new toaster oven which I miss greatly since mine caught on fire last summer and I have been doing without since then.
I just read my post from yesterday and have decided that my brain really was frozen when I wrote it. Sorry that it was so incoherent. I am not going to write about spring today.... I refuse.
I am instead going to write about what I am doing which for the most part has been weaving on pin looms and doing research for a level 2 question on spindles. I have spent an inordinate amount of time working on research for spindle information. I have discovered a number of different kinds but frankly it is pretty hard to find out background information on them. Spindle spinning is not terribly popular and so I gleam bits of information from here and there but never finding any really good sites. The one that I am having most trouble with is a double whorl spindle called the Balkan spindle. This morning before I go will be an opportunity to do some more research.
The other time consumer lately has been my pin loom. I have been weaving 6 inch squares on my pin loom with yarn that I bought for socks a while ago.... you may remember my secretive purchase from my local yarn shop.... and I am weaving squares with it as I have decided I like cotton socks better than wool. I am doing alternating squares. Ones is woven on the bias and one is woven straight. So far it is looking quite nice.... I am no sure I like my HRL loom as much as I like my Weavette.... well I know I don't actually... but it is ok.
Anyway when I am done I am hoping to have a baby blanket for a new child we support through Foster Parents Plan. We have three now. The new one is named Thavyne and comes from Brazil. We have Maria in Peru and Rosa in Dominican Republic. It gives me great pleasure to be able to make things for these little girls. Maria is 12. Rosa is 5 and Thavyne is not quite 2. Maria is getting a quilt and Rosa is getting a woven purse. I will see about posting pics here next time.
I will end here today as I have to get ready to go and still want to do some of that research....
I am taking my mom and heading to FSJ later this morning to bare witness to the event and to do a little shopping too. I need batteries for my camera so that I can post pics here of my weaving. A few groceries will make it into my cart and hopefully a new toaster oven which I miss greatly since mine caught on fire last summer and I have been doing without since then.
I just read my post from yesterday and have decided that my brain really was frozen when I wrote it. Sorry that it was so incoherent. I am not going to write about spring today.... I refuse.
I am instead going to write about what I am doing which for the most part has been weaving on pin looms and doing research for a level 2 question on spindles. I have spent an inordinate amount of time working on research for spindle information. I have discovered a number of different kinds but frankly it is pretty hard to find out background information on them. Spindle spinning is not terribly popular and so I gleam bits of information from here and there but never finding any really good sites. The one that I am having most trouble with is a double whorl spindle called the Balkan spindle. This morning before I go will be an opportunity to do some more research.
The other time consumer lately has been my pin loom. I have been weaving 6 inch squares on my pin loom with yarn that I bought for socks a while ago.... you may remember my secretive purchase from my local yarn shop.... and I am weaving squares with it as I have decided I like cotton socks better than wool. I am doing alternating squares. Ones is woven on the bias and one is woven straight. So far it is looking quite nice.... I am no sure I like my HRL loom as much as I like my Weavette.... well I know I don't actually... but it is ok.
Anyway when I am done I am hoping to have a baby blanket for a new child we support through Foster Parents Plan. We have three now. The new one is named Thavyne and comes from Brazil. We have Maria in Peru and Rosa in Dominican Republic. It gives me great pleasure to be able to make things for these little girls. Maria is 12. Rosa is 5 and Thavyne is not quite 2. Maria is getting a quilt and Rosa is getting a woven purse. I will see about posting pics here next time.
I will end here today as I have to get ready to go and still want to do some of that research....
Monday, March 9, 2009
I'm Over It... Yeah Right!
It is now a balmy -11 degrees and there is water dripping off my roof. I did go back to bed but then I had a friend drop by for lunch.
This picture was taken a couple of years ago.... we look like a couple of real winners. Anyway we had a very nice lunch and it is not often that we get together to do that. She is my fitness instructor but primarily she is a good friend.
I've pretty much decided to hibernate until spring. I have to take my girls into FSJ tomorrow because they are both in the regional science fair. I'm really proud of the fact that they have made it so far. But after tomorrow I'm not leaving the house until it goes above freezing. Then I might think about leaving the house. So for now I will only think spring thoughts and I will only spin spring things and sew spring things and weave spring things...... if I deny that it is STILL winter like out then eventually it will have to change to spring..... make sense????? I thought not?
Who says you have to make sense anyhow.... my brain is too frozen to make sense. I need some spring to thaw me out. It's all good, as my friend who came for lunch says, it's all good!
Well I'm sorry... winter sucks! I'm tired of winter... I NEED spring. I love to hear that first pattering of rainfall when spring comes. I love to hear the buzz of the flies and bees. There's chirping in the air and you can almost hear the sap rising in the trees. And the smells... oh the smells of spring. I just love the smell of the earth and the warm air in the leaves. The musty smell of last falls debris rotting. Then there are the smells of the flowers. You can't beat spring.... well I like autumn too.
I'm weaving and hope to have pictures of it soon.... my weaving looks like spring, with its Easter colours....see ya soon.... here's hoping its spring in your neck of the woods.
This picture was taken a couple of years ago.... we look like a couple of real winners. Anyway we had a very nice lunch and it is not often that we get together to do that. She is my fitness instructor but primarily she is a good friend.I've pretty much decided to hibernate until spring. I have to take my girls into FSJ tomorrow because they are both in the regional science fair. I'm really proud of the fact that they have made it so far. But after tomorrow I'm not leaving the house until it goes above freezing. Then I might think about leaving the house. So for now I will only think spring thoughts and I will only spin spring things and sew spring things and weave spring things...... if I deny that it is STILL winter like out then eventually it will have to change to spring..... make sense????? I thought not?
Who says you have to make sense anyhow.... my brain is too frozen to make sense. I need some spring to thaw me out. It's all good, as my friend who came for lunch says, it's all good!
Well I'm sorry... winter sucks! I'm tired of winter... I NEED spring. I love to hear that first pattering of rainfall when spring comes. I love to hear the buzz of the flies and bees. There's chirping in the air and you can almost hear the sap rising in the trees. And the smells... oh the smells of spring. I just love the smell of the earth and the warm air in the leaves. The musty smell of last falls debris rotting. Then there are the smells of the flowers. You can't beat spring.... well I like autumn too.
I'm weaving and hope to have pictures of it soon.... my weaving looks like spring, with its Easter colours....see ya soon.... here's hoping its spring in your neck of the woods.
@%#$^%&%^*
-44 windchill! It's March 9 for God's sake. No wonder there are Snow Buntings flying around..... they'd freeze their wee bums off if they stayed still. Brrr... I'm going back to bed. : {
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Snow Buntings And Cold
Yesterday was stormy. It was stormy pretty much all day. I would look out at the falling blowing snow and wonder where spring was. It's March for God's sake shouldn't we be getting more seasonal temperatures by now. I just checked the thermometre and it is reading -23 degrees. Brrr! Hubby and I are heading off to church this morning and Hubby had to go plug in the truck because otherwise it might not start. It is sunny today but yesterday was a different story altogether.
Hubby left early in the afternoon yesterday, to take a bunch of kids sledding. I can't believe that they braved the storm and went off sliding. Daughter #1 who is a JCR did not go as she was hoping that her friend would come over and stay overnight... I think she was avoiding the cold too. I stayed home because I thought they were nuts to go sliding in such frigid temperatures.
It was while I was watching TV and weaving on my pin loom that I glanced up and noticed a flock of Snow Buntings flying around out over the sheep paddock. Snow Buntings are harbingers of spring. So while it is -23 this morning I know that it can't be long now. I think Hubby thinks I'm nuts but hang on I will until the gentle breezes of spring blow instead of the frigid winds of he North.
Crows are also a harbinger of spring. Not the big ravens but it's smaller cousin the crow. When I lived in the south there were always ravens and crows around, so it was strange when I came north and discovered that crows actually fly south for the winter. When I see crows now I know that it is spring. Then come the sparrows. With the sparrows come the wild crocuses and then dandelions.
For now the ground is white and everything is still frozen. The sheep are not moving much today. They are saving their energy and trying to stay warm. I have been watching closely because we are only a matter of weeks away from lambing. Each morning I look out and watch to see if there are any changes in behaviour. Lambs mean spring too. So i diligently watch for all signs spring.
What are signs of spring for you?
Hubby left early in the afternoon yesterday, to take a bunch of kids sledding. I can't believe that they braved the storm and went off sliding. Daughter #1 who is a JCR did not go as she was hoping that her friend would come over and stay overnight... I think she was avoiding the cold too. I stayed home because I thought they were nuts to go sliding in such frigid temperatures.
It was while I was watching TV and weaving on my pin loom that I glanced up and noticed a flock of Snow Buntings flying around out over the sheep paddock. Snow Buntings are harbingers of spring. So while it is -23 this morning I know that it can't be long now. I think Hubby thinks I'm nuts but hang on I will until the gentle breezes of spring blow instead of the frigid winds of he North.
Crows are also a harbinger of spring. Not the big ravens but it's smaller cousin the crow. When I lived in the south there were always ravens and crows around, so it was strange when I came north and discovered that crows actually fly south for the winter. When I see crows now I know that it is spring. Then come the sparrows. With the sparrows come the wild crocuses and then dandelions.
For now the ground is white and everything is still frozen. The sheep are not moving much today. They are saving their energy and trying to stay warm. I have been watching closely because we are only a matter of weeks away from lambing. Each morning I look out and watch to see if there are any changes in behaviour. Lambs mean spring too. So i diligently watch for all signs spring.
What are signs of spring for you?
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Blow Blow Snow Snow
11 years... it's been 11 years since the last blizzard and Hubby is most disgusted that it fell on a weekend and not on a school day. Why couldn't this blizzard show up on the weekday.
We woke this morning to cats scrabbling around out on the deck trying to find a hole in a wall somewhere so that they could get in out of the desperate wind and blowing snow. Lying in bed, we didn't know what the problem was. We had our curtains closed on our window because the moon is approaching full and I am having werewolf feelings again. We heard the blighters outside scrabbling around on the deck and I just thought it was spring fever. How wrong was I. When I pulled back the drape it was clear that today would be spent indoors. I checked the sheep and alpacas and accounted for all of them as white lumps of snow. Honeydew too was a white lump of snow except her head was up. Poor things were hunkered down in the hay and were white with blowing snow.
The snow is blowing and I mean blowing. It is actually horizontal. I came downstairs and let the dogs out and proceeded to the kitchen door where the cats were looking into the window with pleading looks on their faces. I knew exactly what they wanted. Warmth and food. The dogs were white when they followed shortly after.
There was supposed to be a sledding party today for JCRs but I'm thinking that a sledding party might not be the best idea. I've emailed our patrol leader and am prepared to do some phoning as I expect everyone will have to be contacted.
Usually this region does not have snow and wind at the same time, so stormy weather like this is unusual. But it is just plain nasty. If I were a superstitious person I would change my colours back from spring colours....
And I can't even take pictures!
We woke this morning to cats scrabbling around out on the deck trying to find a hole in a wall somewhere so that they could get in out of the desperate wind and blowing snow. Lying in bed, we didn't know what the problem was. We had our curtains closed on our window because the moon is approaching full and I am having werewolf feelings again. We heard the blighters outside scrabbling around on the deck and I just thought it was spring fever. How wrong was I. When I pulled back the drape it was clear that today would be spent indoors. I checked the sheep and alpacas and accounted for all of them as white lumps of snow. Honeydew too was a white lump of snow except her head was up. Poor things were hunkered down in the hay and were white with blowing snow.
The snow is blowing and I mean blowing. It is actually horizontal. I came downstairs and let the dogs out and proceeded to the kitchen door where the cats were looking into the window with pleading looks on their faces. I knew exactly what they wanted. Warmth and food. The dogs were white when they followed shortly after.
There was supposed to be a sledding party today for JCRs but I'm thinking that a sledding party might not be the best idea. I've emailed our patrol leader and am prepared to do some phoning as I expect everyone will have to be contacted.
Usually this region does not have snow and wind at the same time, so stormy weather like this is unusual. But it is just plain nasty. If I were a superstitious person I would change my colours back from spring colours....
And I can't even take pictures!
Friday, March 6, 2009
Home Is What We Make Of It
The 10th of March Hubby and I will have moved into this house 7 years ago. Who would have thought that much time would go so quickly. When we first moved here things were pretty rough. The house was built prior to our moving here by a Norwegian sailor/cowboy. He had built it for his wife and himself to move in to as part of their Canadian adventure. She came and took one look and decided to move home... he didn't want to go and so divorce seemed the best option. The house went up for sale as part of the divorce settlement. Enter Hubby and moi.
Let me tell you that purchasing this house was no small task and especially from a Norwegian sailor/cowboy with grand ideas of the wild west. He didn't have a clue really about the laws of Canada and felt that he could sell us the house and use the same lawyer that we had.... He wanted to come visit the lawyer the same day we did and thought it all could be done in one afternoon. We eventually got it all worked out but it was a painful process.
We have never regretted living in this house and we have never regretted our lifestyle here which believe me has been a little uncooth at times. The needs of a Norwegian sailor/cowboy and his wife are quite different than a family of four with two dogs and two cats. For example, when we fist moved into this house there was carpet on the kitchen floor and only one bedroom. Hubby and I, in our wisdom, moved the kids into the closet in our bedroom and managed to squash the possessions of four people into 600 square feet. We eventually closed off the cathedral ceiling in our living room, and built a large upstairs room for the girls. Over the years a number of changes have been made to the house the least of which was not the extensive renovations to the kitchen (where we took up the carpet) or the addition of a front door and porch. We have added a 600 square foot deck. It's a cozy home and though it has a very lived in look most of the time, I for one love it here.
I'm sitting here listening to the CBC show, Daybreak North, which is broadcasting from the local cafe in our little town. They are interviewing the Boones from Bears Flats just up the highway from here and they are talking about Site C. Site C is like saying the "F" word in our neck of the woods. Site C is a proposed hydro electric dam that will ruin a river valley which is one of the most beautiful valleys anywhere, and we happen to live in it. People will be displaced and the town will will be cut off from the nearest centre so suffice it to say that it is a touchy subject for sure in this locale. My family will not actually be affected directly but the new lake will certainly be our neighbour. What people don't realize is that reservoir lakes are dead. They cause horrible amounts of sluffing (sloughing) and the wind turns all the sluffed banks into dust whirlwinds. It is a horrible sight to see when that much dust lays a coating of inches over everything.... it looks like an atomic bomb has gone off. And of course no animals can survive such conditions. I hope Site C doesn't go ahead. Our property will lose most of its value.... not a nice thing I assure you.
The Boones are not alone in their fight against Site C. Many people like us have bought homes in this valley because it is so beautiful. They want to see life in their chosen homeland stay beautiful and I can understand that.
So it is with this in mind that Hubby and I embark on renovations to our home... not lightly let me tell you. We are sitting on a time bomb really. If we invest another 40 - 50 thousand dollars into our home we do not want to see it lose value but rather gain. We do not invest the money for the reason of gaining or losing but because we need the space, but gaining in value is certainly expected when investing that kind of money. The reservoir will basically lick at the edges of our property and the property of our neighbours. We have the risk of being buried under those inches of blowing sand and dust. Our land will become basically valueless.
It is interesting to hear the people talk on the radio about Site C. Some people are for Site C and some are adamantly against it. I realize that it may bring with it economic growth but then I look out at my animals and wonder what will happen to me and my family.
Hubby and I canoed the river about two years ago. We canoed the area that will be affected if Site C goes ahead. We want to do it again this year and we hope to take the girls with us this time.... at least part of the way. I want them to see what beauty will be destroyed if Site C goes ahead. I want them to know what life was like before Armageddon.
It is interesting to listen to people talking so coolly about something that can be so significant in their lives and ours. But listen I do... I just pray that when all is said and done, the good Lord above is watching over us and will touch us and this valley with only good things.
Anyway renovations are certainly in our future.... whether Site C is, remains to be seen.
Let me tell you that purchasing this house was no small task and especially from a Norwegian sailor/cowboy with grand ideas of the wild west. He didn't have a clue really about the laws of Canada and felt that he could sell us the house and use the same lawyer that we had.... He wanted to come visit the lawyer the same day we did and thought it all could be done in one afternoon. We eventually got it all worked out but it was a painful process.
We have never regretted living in this house and we have never regretted our lifestyle here which believe me has been a little uncooth at times. The needs of a Norwegian sailor/cowboy and his wife are quite different than a family of four with two dogs and two cats. For example, when we fist moved into this house there was carpet on the kitchen floor and only one bedroom. Hubby and I, in our wisdom, moved the kids into the closet in our bedroom and managed to squash the possessions of four people into 600 square feet. We eventually closed off the cathedral ceiling in our living room, and built a large upstairs room for the girls. Over the years a number of changes have been made to the house the least of which was not the extensive renovations to the kitchen (where we took up the carpet) or the addition of a front door and porch. We have added a 600 square foot deck. It's a cozy home and though it has a very lived in look most of the time, I for one love it here.
I'm sitting here listening to the CBC show, Daybreak North, which is broadcasting from the local cafe in our little town. They are interviewing the Boones from Bears Flats just up the highway from here and they are talking about Site C. Site C is like saying the "F" word in our neck of the woods. Site C is a proposed hydro electric dam that will ruin a river valley which is one of the most beautiful valleys anywhere, and we happen to live in it. People will be displaced and the town will will be cut off from the nearest centre so suffice it to say that it is a touchy subject for sure in this locale. My family will not actually be affected directly but the new lake will certainly be our neighbour. What people don't realize is that reservoir lakes are dead. They cause horrible amounts of sluffing (sloughing) and the wind turns all the sluffed banks into dust whirlwinds. It is a horrible sight to see when that much dust lays a coating of inches over everything.... it looks like an atomic bomb has gone off. And of course no animals can survive such conditions. I hope Site C doesn't go ahead. Our property will lose most of its value.... not a nice thing I assure you.
The Boones are not alone in their fight against Site C. Many people like us have bought homes in this valley because it is so beautiful. They want to see life in their chosen homeland stay beautiful and I can understand that.
So it is with this in mind that Hubby and I embark on renovations to our home... not lightly let me tell you. We are sitting on a time bomb really. If we invest another 40 - 50 thousand dollars into our home we do not want to see it lose value but rather gain. We do not invest the money for the reason of gaining or losing but because we need the space, but gaining in value is certainly expected when investing that kind of money. The reservoir will basically lick at the edges of our property and the property of our neighbours. We have the risk of being buried under those inches of blowing sand and dust. Our land will become basically valueless.
It is interesting to hear the people talk on the radio about Site C. Some people are for Site C and some are adamantly against it. I realize that it may bring with it economic growth but then I look out at my animals and wonder what will happen to me and my family.
Hubby and I canoed the river about two years ago. We canoed the area that will be affected if Site C goes ahead. We want to do it again this year and we hope to take the girls with us this time.... at least part of the way. I want them to see what beauty will be destroyed if Site C goes ahead. I want them to know what life was like before Armageddon.
It is interesting to listen to people talking so coolly about something that can be so significant in their lives and ours. But listen I do... I just pray that when all is said and done, the good Lord above is watching over us and will touch us and this valley with only good things.
Anyway renovations are certainly in our future.... whether Site C is, remains to be seen.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
I'm Back
A week in Victoria went a whole lot faster than I expected. I left here last week after a visit to FSJ hospital for a kidney infection. So on antibiotics, and feeling more rotten than good, I landed in Victoria in the late evening and was assigned a room which, praises be, I didn't have to share with anyone (thanks Stew). I made up my bed and unpacked in a matter of a few moments and prepared to renew some relationships from a year ago. I then hit my bed and tried to get a decent night's sleep. I have to say that the life of the sorority is not something I fit well into and so for most of the week I felt like a fish out of water. J, we will call him, my travelling companion from Hudson's Hope was a blessing, because he has an easy way about him and helped my awkwardness many times. I was up at 5:30 am the next morning to shower and prepare for class which was to start at 7:45 am sharp. I had breakfast at the mess hall at 6:00 am and began my ritual of yogurt and fruit for breakfast. Class began with filling out and signing contracts for the week. I will get paid for this course that I took! still find that to be a surprise. We started in right away. The courses that I took were Advanced Dispute Resolution and Non-violent Crisis Intervention. Both were exacting and both were immensely fulfilling. I think the only complaint is that I hate roll playing (I have never been an actress). I find roll playing to reach too deep into my inner turmoil and draw out things best left buried where they belong. It doesn't help that the feminine psychy rears its ugly head at particular times of the month. Though the moon was not full I felt the workings of the monthlys heavy on me about mid-week when roll playing was at it height. At one point I was reduced to tears and embarrassed for it. I don't like to be in the limelight and there I sat for all eyes to bear witness to my discomfort... ugh!
The second part of the week was better with Non-violent Crisis Intervention. I thoroughly enjoyed getting the ideas behind that course. I also thought that the actual deflecting exercises were brilliant. I came away reassured that what I try to do in a melt down with teenagers (mostly my own) is the correct method and the courses gave me some strategies to deal with kids that are difficult and unresponsive. Believe me, as a Mom wih two teenagers (one almost) the course is a great way of aiding you and balancing you as a rounded human.
After hours was a different thing altogether. I spent a lot of time working on my book reports for my Master Spinner level 2 homework. I am pleased to say that I have finished all six book reports and I have several of the other research questions done too. Thanks to Hubby, I was able to use a laptop and get all my work done. I went shopping and spent way too much money on beading supplies. The great thing about Victoria is the great down town area where cool and nifty shops abound. The last day there I spent and afternoon in Market Square poking about in the shops there. I found a great fudge shop and brought home a log of something that I can't remeber the name of. It was nougat with cherries and raisins and nuts in it rolled in caramel and pecan nuts.... with the way I love nougat it was yum! I bought Hubby a hat made of waxed cotton and looked like the hat that Indiana Jones wore in the movies. The girls got braclets from an East Indian clothing shop and I wish I could have afforded a sari for them. J and I had challenged each other to tattoos but we both didn't feel that the tattoo shop we went to was what we were looking for so in the end we decided to wait until we could do a tattoo and get exactly what we wanted. Dinner out happened twice. Once at a Thai place and the other at a Curry East Indian joint. Both restaurants had great food. The highlight of the trip I think though was the opportunity to go to the Tournament of Hearts and see the curlers for real. The curling was amazing and the whole experience was top notch. I did have to choose between the Tournament of Hearts and the night that everybody went out for dinner. But in hind sight it wasn't so bad. I think there was too much flirty crap that went on for my enjoyment. The most disappointing about it was that my WO and his wife were there and for the second year in a row and I have not had the opportunity to meet her and socialize with them both. I would have liked to do that. I did hear that some of my fellow class mates were outrageous in their behaviour after over indulging in booze. I did that years ago in my college days and I don't feel I have anything else to proove. I am glad to say that the politics of such an event are beyond me and I am always glad to forgo people politics and machinations..... that is what makes me a loner. I am happy to be just me and not have to worry about who is flirting with this one or that one or who is sucking up to this one or that one.... it is kind of sad to watch.
This trip has been an eye opener for me and I have discovered that I am too hard on myself and certainly too analytical. I need to just live and let the others take care of themselves. People who are out to proove something usually only just end up hurting themselves. I have decided to stay away from people who don't deserve my friendship and loyalty, and enjoy the ones who do. In the end my friendship is good and I am a worthy friend and companion. I renewed relationships and solidified others, and in the end hopefully built a little respect among the ones who took the time to get to know me. A little self discovery is good from time to time.
The second part of the week was better with Non-violent Crisis Intervention. I thoroughly enjoyed getting the ideas behind that course. I also thought that the actual deflecting exercises were brilliant. I came away reassured that what I try to do in a melt down with teenagers (mostly my own) is the correct method and the courses gave me some strategies to deal with kids that are difficult and unresponsive. Believe me, as a Mom wih two teenagers (one almost) the course is a great way of aiding you and balancing you as a rounded human.
After hours was a different thing altogether. I spent a lot of time working on my book reports for my Master Spinner level 2 homework. I am pleased to say that I have finished all six book reports and I have several of the other research questions done too. Thanks to Hubby, I was able to use a laptop and get all my work done. I went shopping and spent way too much money on beading supplies. The great thing about Victoria is the great down town area where cool and nifty shops abound. The last day there I spent and afternoon in Market Square poking about in the shops there. I found a great fudge shop and brought home a log of something that I can't remeber the name of. It was nougat with cherries and raisins and nuts in it rolled in caramel and pecan nuts.... with the way I love nougat it was yum! I bought Hubby a hat made of waxed cotton and looked like the hat that Indiana Jones wore in the movies. The girls got braclets from an East Indian clothing shop and I wish I could have afforded a sari for them. J and I had challenged each other to tattoos but we both didn't feel that the tattoo shop we went to was what we were looking for so in the end we decided to wait until we could do a tattoo and get exactly what we wanted. Dinner out happened twice. Once at a Thai place and the other at a Curry East Indian joint. Both restaurants had great food. The highlight of the trip I think though was the opportunity to go to the Tournament of Hearts and see the curlers for real. The curling was amazing and the whole experience was top notch. I did have to choose between the Tournament of Hearts and the night that everybody went out for dinner. But in hind sight it wasn't so bad. I think there was too much flirty crap that went on for my enjoyment. The most disappointing about it was that my WO and his wife were there and for the second year in a row and I have not had the opportunity to meet her and socialize with them both. I would have liked to do that. I did hear that some of my fellow class mates were outrageous in their behaviour after over indulging in booze. I did that years ago in my college days and I don't feel I have anything else to proove. I am glad to say that the politics of such an event are beyond me and I am always glad to forgo people politics and machinations..... that is what makes me a loner. I am happy to be just me and not have to worry about who is flirting with this one or that one or who is sucking up to this one or that one.... it is kind of sad to watch.
This trip has been an eye opener for me and I have discovered that I am too hard on myself and certainly too analytical. I need to just live and let the others take care of themselves. People who are out to proove something usually only just end up hurting themselves. I have decided to stay away from people who don't deserve my friendship and loyalty, and enjoy the ones who do. In the end my friendship is good and I am a worthy friend and companion. I renewed relationships and solidified others, and in the end hopefully built a little respect among the ones who took the time to get to know me. A little self discovery is good from time to time.