Learning about yarn

Today the yarn store in Yelm had their open house.  I have been waiting for it for weeks!  We were actually invited to go to this store a year ago.  We went to the Thurston County Fair and met two women.  One was spinning yarn with a spinning wheel and one was using a hand spindle.  Carl took his turn with the hand spindle and the woman was impressed with how nice his work was.  They were both very nice and their stories of the store reminded me of some of the knitting club books that I have read in the past.  Kind of like a quilting circle without the quilting.  Creativity and comeraderie. 

Well, then I read in the shopper's guide that we get in our mail that the yarn store was having an open house.  I read about it weeks ago and decided that I was finally going to go.  What a fun time we had.  Carl made felted soap.  Umm...not really sure how to explain this.  I will have to get Tim's rendition, but I do know that

the felt around the soap works like a loofah and exfoliates your skin.  I didn't get to watch the process as I was busy visiting with the animals and especially with the HUGE Great Pyrenees dog that protects the alpacas.  I don't think I have ever seen a bigger one than she was, and I have seen a few.  Anyway, Carl was very proud of his soap.  He picked Spider Man colors.  :-)

Then we learned about picking and combing the wool or alpaca fleece.  The lady giving the demonstration has been making yarn for 11 years!!  It is quite a process.  First you shear the animal and you let the fleece/wool sit for a while to make sure all the critters in it are dead. (She actually said that.) Then you have to wash it... in VERY HOT water and soap.  And then you have to rinse it in VERY HOT water.  (She told us all this too.)  You cannot handle it too much or else you will accidentally make felt out of it.  Then you pick it to pick the fibers apart, to take even more dirt out of it and to get all the short pieces out of it.  Then you card it (she had a carding machine that she explained is very rare to see).  She mixed some wool in with the alpaca fleece, as she said that it holds the shape better.  So because she was mixing it, she had to card it three times.  When we checked back in with her later she was at her spinning wheel spinning the fleece into yarn.  I talked to her about learning to spin, but she said that you have to be serious about it because you have to buy your own spinning wheel BEFORE the class.  Hmmm...don't think I have the time or money right now for that.  But it is a cool thought. 

What I thought was so interesting was that all the women that were there made it sound like this was just something that was done all the time.  It is surely a good use of materials that they get from their animals. 

They will be at the Thurston County Fair and they will be spinning and selling yarn at the Puyallup Fair too.  If you have a chance to check them out, it is worth watching. 

We had lunch with them and Carl got some really neat alpaca socks.  He is very proud of them. 

The rest of the day we spent at a BBQ for a very good friend of ours.  It was a lovely gathering to celebrate a really nice guy's birth day.  We had a lot of conversation and a lot of good food.  I wish I had more energy and I could paint a picture for you with words, but not tonight. 

By the way, the chickens are just about ready to begin laying.  They scratch little divots in the ground and sit on little pebbles.  I guess they are practicing. 

I hear laughter in the kitchen.  My sis and my son are playing a game together.  I had better go join in the fun. 

Love to you and yours. 



Sunday

Sunday morning.  I hope this one finds you safe and warm and feeling loved.

Missed yesterday's usual entry.  I think I slept in.  That is a miracle!  Then we had a lovely breakfast of eggs, quinoa pancakes, bacon, and raspberry kefir to drink.  Yummy.  If you haven't tried kefir yet, you should try it.  I think of it as a drinkable yogurt.  They have a lot of different kinds of flavors wherever they sell it.  It is good for the tummy if you can tolerate milk.  But you have to be careful (if this is of concern to you) of what they use if it is sweetened.  The last one was cane sugar, which I am ok with. 

Tim got his lap band filled last week.  He really has had a good experience this time.  I think he realized that they were over-filling it for him the past number of times and then he would always have trouble and then he wouldn't want to get it filled again.  This time, I see hope in his eyes.  He is able to feel full only after eating a small portion of food and he stays full until it is time to eat again.  He has decided he will fill it more regularly now and just not have them fill it so much.  That is all good. 

We went to Tim's Mom's to celebrate her birthday last night.  It was such a nice visit!  It was relaxing and warm.  We talked about her cats and played with her dog.  We talked a lot about what Carl wanted to talk about too.  He sometimes feels like he is side-lined when we go there, but this time there was a really nice balance of communication.  Then we went out to dinner.  Tim and I split a meal.  And between us we couldn't even eat all of the food!  Ok, so I have to admit that I was saving a little room for the rhubarb pie as well.  :-)  It was lovely!  We don't do that often at all, so it was a real treat.  Anyway, it was good reminder that we could share a meal and both feel full.  That will help me lose some weight and save money for us as well.

Carl is going to day camp this coming week with the cubscouts.  He is so excited!  He gets to shoot BB guns and do archery, take nature walks and do art projects.  I wish I could take some time off to be out there with him, but it is not in the cards this week.  Oh well, I know he will be in good hands and some of the other moms from our den will be out there at least part of the time.  Glad of that! 

Our CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) has been working out so well this year.  We bought a half share and we are able to feed ourselves, my sis who has been staying with us and still have quite a bit to share with my parents.  It feel good knowing that we are helping the farmers, keeping us healthy and helping a few others out as well! 

And speaking of food, my sis cooked for us twice this week.  That was a lovely treat!

We have been supplementing our veggie box with lettuce from our own garden as well.  And I was able to pick and give my parents a big bag of lettuce (beautiful lime green and red-leafed lettuce) from our own garden last week as well.  It made me feel proud in that it has been a long time since we have had a garden. 

Our carrots aren't quite ready, but they are getting there.  Zuchs are showing their blooms.  Crooked neck squash are blooming as well and the onions continue to grow.  The peppers just didn't make it (we grew them from seed, but a little later than we should have).  But the tomato plants that we grew from seed are getting bigger.  I doubt we will really have tomatoes on them, but they are fun to watch grow, especially since I watched them from they were very tiny seeds. 

The chickens are enjoying the bounty of our garden as well.  They get some succulent leaves and they get all the tops and ends of all the veggies we prepare as well.  I think at this point they like the dandelions better, but either way I am happy. 

Other than that, as I move into my week I am working on more balance in my work/home life.  We are in need of a vacation too.  It won't be a long one or one far away at this point.  But I think we could all use a little away and rejuvenation time.  How about you? 

Love and God's blessing on you and yours this week.  Hope to see you again next weekend!

Changes in Connection

All I got in my email today were advertisements.  I think it is a comment on where I am at socially.  I remember when I was sad when I came back from Japan when the letters stopped coming.  When I was in Japan, people wrote letters to me.  Don't get me wrong, I got my share of advertisements there too.  And then there was email.  And everyone emailed.  "What is your email address?"  And then when Facebook came into being, it seemed I got more and more jokes and less and less actual emails.  And now pretty much all I get are advertisements.  And speaking of Facebook...you know when you "Like" something, you start getting all the updates from that.  And then I found that I was getting more updates than I was getting updates on my friends' lives.  The hardest ones were when I was getting notes like this, "This dog has three more hours of life.  Please save him!" signed Mary Lou from Northern Podunk Somewhere I Have No Idea Where It Is.  First of all, I can take no more dogs in and second of all I have two dogs to take care of as it is.  Not to mention the dogs in the neighborhood who I try to take care of as well.  And now I find that fewer and fewer people actually update on Facebook.  So there is less information and more advertisements.  And then I heard yesterday that there is now another site called Google+.  The idea of starting all over sounds...enticing. 

It is an interesting world we live in.  I talked to my Dad yesterday about some of this.  He doesn't like Facebook.  He said he gets tired of so much information.  But he still watches the news on TV and THAT makes me tired...ok, exhausted.  But Dad misses when people would take the time to update him on their lives by email...or even by the telephone.  It seems to me that we have so much information available that the information of connection seems to get lost.  And for me I will go one step further.  I get so much information, email, telephone calls, chats in the hall, that I am exhausted and cannot reach out to the people who really matter.  This is a deep thought for my Saturday morning.  :-)

Having said this, I am thinking a lot about connection this morning.  My sis is vacationing here for a couple weeks.  It is so awesome to have her.  Sometimes I think she thinks she is a bother, but that is SO far from the truth.  (Although I have been very busy with work lately and have not been the best hostess.) But I grew up in a household where there was always someone around and I would go back there in a minute.  Just a chat here or a walk there...what is better than that?  And last night another of our sisters came to visit.  It turned into dinner, a little walk and a good after dinner chat.  They even said no to desert because they had their fill of yummy (and healthy) food for dinner.  I loved that.  But the biggest piece is that I was reminded that I love "the Craic" as my husband would say. (Definition from the Urban Dictionary site below.)   I love the connection.  It doesn't matter if it is coupled with drink.  Good food helps though.  People are always more relaxed when their stomachs are full of good (and I would add healthy) food.  I need more Craic in my life with people who are trustworthy. 

The chicken-girls are getting big!  Around their eyes are getting reddish.  I need to take more pictures of them, as I am amazed at the change...really the transformation in them since we got them.  They are beautiful and each has her own personality.  Some come to visit when I come around, some run away.  They love being outside and especially when they get new ground to scratch.  I have had a few lettuce plants bolt and they have done a great job of cleaning them up. 

The garden is beautiful.  It is just like what I think it should look like.

I talked a lot about juicing last night, so I think I will juice today.  Tim had his lap band filled yesterday so he is on full liquids until tomorrow anyway.  Gotta make sure that he gets his veggies and fruits too! 

So...enough of my rambling today.  I hope that you and yours are well.  And I hope that you have something fun planned for the weekend.  I have so many projects in my head that I don't really know where to start! 

Craic

Irish word for fun/enjoyment that has been brought into the English language. usu. when mixed with alcohol and/or music. 'Bhi craic agus ceol againn' : We had fun and music. Fun doesn't really cut it though. General banter, good times had by all. Also, a person who is good fun/great company. It was great craic. She's great craic when she gets going. He's great craic when he has a few pints on him. What's the craic? How's the craic? The craic was mighty. )

Talk about GROUNDING!

Well, I have a better understanding of "grounding".  For me it means working with the ground.  :-)  I asked Tim to teach me how to use the weed eater today.  I probably have used one here and there in the past, but it hasn't been for a very long time.  There are lots of areas that have gone back to the jungle and I wasn't sure where to start.  But I decided that my goal wasn't a destination today, but it was the journey. 

I am getting a different view of being creative as well.  I mean what could be more creative than having a big portion of land and looking around to see where a path wants to become?  It was fun!  I just started somewhere and then I was somewhere else! 

I got to one area and Carl snuck up behind me.  So I turned to him and said, "Hey, I am making a path for you to play on and what would you like to see at the end of the path?"  He quickly said, "I would like TWO paths!  One entrance and one exit and then I want them to end at that baby tree right there.  Maybe I can even make a fort there, or we can pitch the tent!"  So that is just what I did.  I made one entrance and one exit! 

I have to admit that weed eating is tough.  Carl said he wanted to try, so I set him up.  He said, "No fair Mom, you make it look easy!"  That was the biggest compliment!  I explained that Daddy made it look easy and that I was wiped out.  I also explained that I was very glad that he came to spell me!  So he lost interest after a bit. 

Tim came to visit next and to see what I was doing.  He had been flaming weeds and had run out of propane.  So the next thing I knew, he had found a way up the hill on the riding lawn mower and he was working to make the paths even more accesible!  That was a good thing too...umm...because the weed eater is Tony's and he needs it back.  :-) 

Anyway, after all the work was done, I laid down and relaxed in the sunshine.  I looked up at the trees swaying in the breeze and at the blue sky.  A moment of pure quiet and peace.  And I realized that for me this is what "grounding" is all about.  Connection to the earth.  Connection to the sky.  Connection. 

Happy Fourth of July.  I thank God that I live in a place where I can take freedom for granted.  I try not to mind you...

A Beautiful Summer Day

We ate breakfast out on the porch this morning.  What a beautiful morning.  We went into town to the Farmer's Market.  It was funny to be there with no money in hand.  But we were really there to pick up the cherries that we were "owed" from our CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) or Farmshare.  We talked to a lot of people at the market.  I met a really cool couple who look like they are a bit younger than us.  They moved to the area to take care of the guy's grandmother.  They are using the time that they have to learn to farm.  They have chickens...6 of them...and they have planted a garden.  They buy goat milk from the librarian in town and they use essential oils to make soap, deodorant, lip balm, etc.  It was fun to talk to them, because they are still in the process of figuring things out and we are right there with them.  They told me about a book called The Backyard Homestead.  They said it was a great book for beginners.  I will check it out. 

Who else did I talk to?  Two ladies who spin fiber into yarn.  They told me that there is a "spinning guild" that meets here in town at the high school.  It is amazing what you can learn at the Farmer's Market.  :-)  They have alpacas and they spin their wool into yarn.  Very cool.  I always thought that I should save Bear's undercoat in the Spring when he was shedding and spin it.  I just didn't know where to start.  The lady has a Great Pyrenees like Belle to watch her alpacas.  She assured me that as Belle grows, her undercoat will grow too.  Maybe a second chance? 

And then I talked to a lady who has a nursery down the road from here.  She had some lovely things.  My favorite was a hanging basket, you know like everyone gives to their mothers on Mother's Day?  And it had draping tomato plants in it!  What a cool idea!  Wish I had had some money with me because she had marked them down too.  Oh well, I can dream a bit and then maybe go back next weekend.

That lady had a variety of herb starts as well.  We need to get an herb garden started.  Tim is a wonderful cook and he uses lots of herbs. Fresh herbs, yum! 

Our garden is growing well.  We have little tiny carrots and a few different kinds of lettuce.  Our Zuchs and Summer squash are getting big.  No actual veggies on there yet, but should be pretty soon.  The onions are growing.  The tomatoes and peppers...um, not so good.  But oh well.  The rabbits pretty much ate all of our rhubarb. 

SO...this is where we have come from our starting place of just wanting to make sure that our weeds were not up over our heads this year.  

As an update to our eating habits, we have pretty much moved over to as organic as we can get.  Our beef is grass fed from the farm we get our veggies from.  They aren't certified organic, but they use no pesticides and only organic fertilizer on their starts.

We are using mostly organic cleaners and body products.  It is a good start.  We don't juice as much as I would like, but honestly it is an acquired taste. 

That's all for today.  Hope you have a safe 4th of July.