Life With The Crew

Snapshots from the Fair

Last weekend we attended the Common Ground Fair in Unity, Maine.  This was our third time and we really enjoy going.  There is just so much to see - we had two full days there and still missed some things!  Sustainable agriculture, eco-building, traditional folk arts, fiber animals, political activism, healthy living, foraging, music, local Maine food, and lots of handmade merchandise.  Since we just got Flora bunny, I attended a workshop on blending fibers and on processing fiber with combs and carders.  I sat with an experienced spinner for a quick drop spindle demo and came home with my own.  The little babe and her Dad made a wooden spatula with a drawknife and we learned about processing acorns into flour.  We ended both days dusty, sweaty, tired, and filled with ideas.  So much more to learn at next year's Fair!

(The bike in the photo above is set up to grind flour - how cool is that!  Burn those calories before you eat them!)

 

Second Time Was The Charm

The Auger tank top was not to be.  It was too big and the cotton stretched way too much, so I decided to put that stretchy habit to good use - a shawl/wrap that I want stretched around me.  I found a "diamonds in moss" pattern in my trusty knitting book that I have been wanting to try for a while, but haven't had the nerve.  I thought it would work really well with what I had in mind, so I went for it and it actually turned out to be quite easy.  I had to pay attention to the lace work, so then I granted myself a "recess" my breaking it up with mindless garter stitch.  I am still not a fan of cotton - it just doesn't have the feel that I want in a knitted item.  I am a true blue wool lover.  Luckily there is more than enough variations of that to keep me knitting for a very long time.  Now I need a nice handmade pin to hold it in place.  We're heading off to the Common Ground Fair in Maine and the little babe said that when she learns how to carve at the Fair, she'll whittle me a twig to use.  I told her to go for it.  

Thankful Tuesday - 9.19.17

Today I am thankful for...

~family time - pressing cider with homegrown and foraged apples.  The press is a beast to drag out of the shed, but once we have it all cleaned up and ready to go and the sweet cider is running, we're glad to have it.  After 7 years it still hasn't paid for itself, but hopefully we're implanting some good memories in the little babe's brain and we know that we have totally fresh, chemical free cider.  The big red apple on the right is from the tree in my parent's backyard - Mom, that is "Grampy's Cider".  The other two are foraged apples.  We did two batches last week with our own apples.

~a Sunday morning explore with the little babe to new territory.  A woodlot near us is being managed for animal habitat - it looks ugly right now after the logging trucks have gone through, but there are paths through the woods and we saw a lot of animal tracks near the mud puddles.

~late season garden goodness - I'm still bringing in yellow cherry tomatoes, green peppers, and the Fall batch of kale and spinach is ready.  The squash are taking over the garden - frost keep away for another month!  

What are you thankful for today? 

And Here She Is Folks...

feisty, fluffy, Flora Bunny the French Angora.

Oops, there she goes, I told you she was feisty!

I have thought about getting an Angora rabbit for a while.  Nothing serious, just, "Oh, wouldn't it be so neat to have one of those.  It would be sort of practical, right?  Wool for spinning (if I ever learn how) or just for the little babe to have for play or craft projects.  Poop for the garden. Because I can't have a goat or sheep.  And oh, they are just so darn cute and fluffy."  And so since the little babe has a birthday coming up, she needs a birthday gift, right?  I first started looking for Angoras from rescues, but couldn't find any.  And just a fyi, if anyone is ever looking to adopt a rabbit, there are tons of rabbits looking for good homes, just like dogs and cats.  So many people buy them for their kids and then the poor rabbit ends up sitting in a small cage all of its life, bored to tears.  Flora Bunny will not be one of those.  She is only 3 1/2 months old, but she is brave and mighty.  The cats are afraid of her and to be honest, I think she pushes the little babe around too.  When the breeder flipped her over to trim her nails, Flora was docile and calm, not a squirm.  When I tried to turn her over at home - flip, bang - she was back on her feet and out of my hands.  So we will need to do a lot of handling!  However, she is really beautiful and incredibly soft, but difficult to photograph.  

I tried.  Not her best angle.

The difference between a French Angora and English Angora is that the French do not have hair on their face and ears.  When you see the really wooly fluffy rabbits, those are probably English Angoras.  They require a lot more grooming.  Her coloring is called a "broken black".  Apparently that cute little light pink nose of hers is supposed to be black.  Without it she is deemed unworthy and is not showable.  Good news for me - it made her cheaper - and I like her twitchy little nose.

So that is the newest addition to the crew.

 

 

 

Almost Autumn

Orb-weaver spiderwebs, falling leaves of Autumn colors, late morning dew and lovely light.  Hydrangeas that get even more beautiful as the season passes.  Fresh pressed cider straight from the backyard.  I'm loving it.

Thankful Tuesday - 9.12.17

Today I am thankful for...

~the warmth of the sun - today felt like early September is supposed to feel around here.

~a basket overflowing with library books and a little babe who begs to read them.

~a husband who knows how to use tools and does the jobs that I request of him.  (A large, old, VERY heavy wooden mirror is now hanging in our hall.  Dragged home from one of his investment properties and given a new coat of paint by me.)

~the opportunity to live in a community that offers a myriad of learning and social options, both for children and adults.  We attended the first Forest Group gathering today of mothers and kids.  The "little" babe was the oldest, but she didn't seem to mind.  The sun was shining, the stream was sparkling, a toad was found, and the kids were getting wet and exploring.  It was a good time for all.

~our apple trees bearing fruit that we turned into the first cider of the season.  A bit early, but they were already dropping.

What are you thankful for today?

September Shift

With the start of September, the feeling of the end of Summer, the shift in the movement of the sun meaning I have to move the drying rack all the way into the yard to catch the rays, came a feeling that the little babe was ready for more.  More activity, more stimulation, more interaction with others.  I do not want to fill our days with busyness - I hear too many parents complain about running their kids all around and I know that is not what I want our life to be like.  However, I chose two activities that I thought she would enjoy (that I would enjoy attending too) and that expose her to different skills.  And so we have a fun dance class with 5-year old girls in all manners of tutus, frills, and bare feet and then a horseback riding lesson each week.  I rode horses throughout my childhood and into college and so have a secret desire to spend time at a barn again.  Both first lessons were a success.

The weather has been much cooler than normal, which I don't really mind, but which is definitely strange.  It has put me in a bit of hibernation mode, wrapping myself in my shawl, taking longer to get out and about in the morning, and taking away my desire for garden work.  Our squash are still growing like crazy, so I hope we don't hit that freezing mark anytime soon.  The little bantam chickens have started laying, but we're still waiting on the Jersey Giants to kick into production.  Then we'll have plenty of eggs again - right now we're lucky for one big and one tiny each day.

Hope you're enjoying these transition days.  Every season is beautiful, but I know that Autumn is a favorite for a lot of people.  I think I've actually become a Winter lover, but that depends on if we actually get snow.  Just like the sunflowers and end of season tomatoes - soak up any bit of sun you can now!

Thankful Tuesday - 9.5.17

Today I am thankful for...

~a rainy "Making Day" spent inside sewing dolls for the little babe.  She isn't into fancy details and doesn't expect anything to be perfect - she just wants me to go with the flow and give it a try.  So we have a corduroy bunny sewed partially on the sewing machine and two little mice - a female and male were both required - sewed by hand.  That is pushing my limit on tiny stitches.  Facial features were drawn on with black permanent marker.  As I said, nothing fancy.

~a beautiful blue sky day following the weekend of dreariness.  Having both kinds of weather is nice; it gives a good balance of indoor and outdoor activities.  We went for an uphill hike to a bridge, the turned around and ran back down.  Nothing to strenuous; just enough.

~tiny eggs!  The bantam chickens have started laying - we don't know which one though.  We are pretty sure that we have two females - Snowball and Feathered Face Francine - and then Feathered Fred, the rooster.  So far he is not demonstrating too much testosterone, so we're okay.

What are you thankful for today?

A Little Dose of Sunshine

Because on this dreary weekend, still technically Summer, I think it is desperately needed.  I have on my squishy wool cardigan at the moment; temps were in the high 40's the last two nights.  I feel bad for any Labor Day weekend campers.  My tomatoes are ripening faster inside than on the vine.  Oh well, I can't complain.  I have a dry house.  Notice I didn't say warm.  My husband and I admitted to both thinking about the woodstove yesterday, but know that we can't break down and fire it up before at least October.  Last year it was November 9th - my husband claims to have written down the exact date.  I know that in 2012, the date was October 11th, because I was stacking the woodpile while my husband cleaned the woodstove.  The next day my daughter was unexpectedly born 10 days early and came home to a warm home.  Good timing.

(I am so happy that I was able to grow these sunflowers from seed - enough to cut for a bouquet and still have some to admire outside!  I had to go to crazy measures to protect them from the chipmunks, but three plants survived.  Good enough for this year, but I am already dreaming about next year's garden!)

Balance

Trying to find the right balance of peace, quiet, calm...

and fun craziness!  Happy weekend!