The End of a Weaving

Finished with this "experiment" this week; my first time sewing and cutting a weaving. 

The fringe didn't turn out like I had planned, but I think it looks pretty good like it is.

It was a lot harder than I anticipated sewing a seam on something this thick~ I decreased my presser foot pressure but it still wouldn't go through. Finally I lowered the feed dogs and just started "pushing" it through my machine and it seemed to work.

I'm already planning my next weaving project, 

and it probably won't include any sewing.

We're finally having fall temperatures here... it was 34 this morning, and a fire felt awfully good to knock the chill off.

Tug has figured this out, too and wouldn't move long enough for me to open the stove door to put more wood inside. 

Also, I turned 50 last weekend...  

The years have flown by so fast it's still hard to believe... 

but I'm just thankful to have made it this far!

I'm off to put a loaf of bread in my bread machine... I sure don't need to eat it but I make it because I love the way the house smells. (Yeah, right!) 

Happy Weekend!

Wordless Wednesday: Beginning of a Weaving

Not Just Another Hen

You would think that after keeping chickens ever since I was five, I would get used to losing them. I mean, down through the years there have been so many, I've lost track of all the different breeds I've had and even forgotten some of their names. But maybe it's the time of the year... I love fall but something about it always seems a tad melancholy to me... or maybe it's the time of my life, when death in any form seems to affect me more than it did twenty years ago. At any rate, I lost one of my two remaining red hens today. And life goes on, tomorrow will be a new day, and so on. But she was one of the good ones. She would come running for treats, would even let me pick her up and hold her. And when she got sick a few days ago, (I suspect she was egg-bound..) she was so patient with me while I tried to doctor her up and help her get well. Even when I tried to dislodge the object inside her with my finger (I'll spare you those details) she just let out a little "ooooh" and blinked her eyes a few times, then softly jumped to the ground and tried to get as far away from me and my finger as she could.
Chickens can be interesting creatures, and some can be hilariously entertaining, but few make sweet pets; most poultry just don't have that instinct in them. I've had a few, and you never forget them. Red Hen #2 was one of those. And today, I just wanted to honor her life. Sleep tight, sweet girl.

Filling in the blanks...

2018 went by so fast... hardly had time to realize it until it was gone. It seemed like at times it would be a year of "losses".. but then a bright spot would always appear. Starting in late January, we lost one of our ewes, Dolly, who'd been sick for a few months before but took a sudden turn for the worse in cold weather. Then we lost our sweet red rooster, Big Otis, in the spring along with another sheep from our flock, Meatball, who passed unexpectedly one morning. I found him unable to get up and by the time I got back to the barn with my vet on the phone, he was gone.... now our little flock of sheep is down to four, and they're all ten years old, so time is catching up with them as well. *sigh* We also lost two hives of honeybees this year... we're still scratching our heads over that one. We will hopefully try again this year if we can find some nucs from a local beekeeper.

In November, we found out Lily had an inoperable mass in her stomach and we had to let her go. I was devastated... and swore I didn't want another dog for a long time, if ever. Two weeks later I had to eat those words when a little bulldog came into our life unexpectedly and stole our hearts. He's not Lily, and that's okay... I will always miss and love her but there's always enough love to go around, and you can't help but to love this little guy... meet "Tuggy". (Or Tug, for short.) He's all boy and loves to chew on anything, but he is also a snuggle bug and has no clue what the phrase "personal space" means. But that's okay by me.



One of the brightest spots of 2018 (and a dream come true for me)~ I finally have my very own little apple orchard. I tucked away a small part of my inheritance when Dad passed away in 2016 for the day when I would be ready to start planting. Twenty apple trees went into the ground in March and April~ five of each: Granny Smiths, Honeycrisps, Winesaps; three Arkansas Blacks, and two McIntosh.
Then we had a drought...*sigh*... thankfully we were able to get a water tank, and every night for two months we watered trees.





Hubby also saw his dream of a vineyard realized... he built three trellises and planted red and white grapes, along with a row of muscadines. We are anxiously looking forward to spring, hoping all we planted last year continues to grow and will one day bear not only fruit for us but enough left over to share.



Now that the holidays are over and life is finally slowing down, I'm looking forward to doing some weaving in the next few weeks before really warm weather arrives and I have to spend most of my time outside... once Tuggy is "potty-trained", maybe....
Until next time,
Paula

Thursday Busyness

Snow flurries and overcast skies greeted me at sunrise; pretty much a raw morning as the wind is whipping around, making it feel much, much colder. The high temperature today is supposed to be 24, so the daily pattern of “break ice, fill with warm water, repeat” will continue so the sheep and chickens will have something to drink. Meanwhile, Lily is tending the fire for me while I make a pot of tea, and by tending, I mean napping upright on her pillow.

On my agenda for today, along with a mountain of laundry: cleaning up the last of the decorations and messes from Christmas, like the one I made in my sewing room while wrapping presents a couple of weeks ago. I’ve been able to put off dealing with that by just staying out of that room, but yesterday I couldn’t find my scissors in the midst of all the clutter, so its time. I also want to finish binding a small lap quilt I made for myself. The fabric has a Christmas theme and colors, but I used some really nice warm batting between the layers so I’d still like to use it for a little while, at least until spring. 

I’d also like to warp up a couple of my rigid heddle looms today... I have some really pretty yarn I’ve been holding on to for too long~ time to make something with them. I love the way this yarn feels... soft and squishy. I’m thinking about making a small scarf with it. 

These colors are gorgeous, and I love how fine and delicate it is... even though it’s probably not as warm as the other, I’m thinking maybe a scarf from these as well.

Okay, time to get off the computer and get busy.... until next time~ stay warm, dear friends! :)