No comment on the British monarchy. Just a lot of light reading (mostly) this month. In the finished pile, almost all of which were off my bookshelf:
Miles From Nowhere, by Dayton Duncan
Highly, highly recommend. I had started this book a while ago, read most of it, then misplaced it in the tower of books formerly known as my nightstand. I was thrilled to rediscover it and finish it off. A fascinating look at counties in the continental US with fewer than 2 people per square mile. In addition to well-drawn portraits of the people who live in such places, Duncan also provides a lot of food for thought about what it means to live an existence with the "irreducible minimum." I was not surprised to learn that he was the writer and director of The National Parks; this book has that same thoughtful flavor.
Quilter's Apprentice, Round Robin & Cross-Country Quilters, by Jennifer Chiaverini
Recommend, especially if you like Debbie Macomber's Blossom Street series. I have wanted to read this series for a while now, and came across a collection of the first three books at a booksale this spring. Perfect non-demanding but engaging reading for the hectic end-of-school transition time.
1225 Christmas Tree Lane, by Debbie Macomber
Recommend, plus I can finally cross this series off the list! This last one, while very thin, was much better than the previous two and wrapped many of the stories up quite nicely. Plus everyone gets a puppy.
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Friday, June 29, 2012
going for the blues
We made our annual pilgrimage down to south Jersey for blueberries yesterday... strangely enough, the exact same date as last year. But this year we remembered a camera!
Secondo was riding shotgun in the truck, because Primo was still on pilgrimage (he returned safely last night) and the only time Secondo gets to ride in the front seat is in Primo's absence. He was the designated photographer and managed to get a shot of the gorilla gas-station statue that lets us know we haven't missed our turn.
The bushes we passed on the way down were full of blueberries, so much so that it seems like the fields have a purple haze on them.
After watching the little packing plant operating at full steam, we decided on 24 flats this year. Luckily I had some help with me to load up. The woman who owned the farm asked where we lived; when I said "on a livestock farm" she said, "That explains why your boys are good workers!"
Only (only!!!) eight flats were ours. I showed a little restraint because our deep freezer was fried after the defrosting episode a few weeks back, and I am not sure where I am going to put all of them. We have been eating frozen food and blueberries in equal measure the past two days, the former to increase the space in the kitchen freezer, and the latter to decrease the amount that needs to be frozen.
It may come down to me trying my hand at blueberry jam, but what with the great fleece washing experiment going on, I'm not really sure I'm up for yet another learning venture.
Note to self for trip next year: go in the afternoon so we can hit the promising barbecue place on the way home!
Secondo was riding shotgun in the truck, because Primo was still on pilgrimage (he returned safely last night) and the only time Secondo gets to ride in the front seat is in Primo's absence. He was the designated photographer and managed to get a shot of the gorilla gas-station statue that lets us know we haven't missed our turn.
The sign around his neck reads in part:
"My name is Mighty Joe. I have been placed here by the V— family
as a memorial and to pay tribute to their son Joseph
who now lives in the kingdom of heaven....
Joe was not only mighty in his appearance
but also in courage, spirit and love of family."
The bushes we passed on the way down were full of blueberries, so much so that it seems like the fields have a purple haze on them.
After watching the little packing plant operating at full steam, we decided on 24 flats this year. Luckily I had some help with me to load up. The woman who owned the farm asked where we lived; when I said "on a livestock farm" she said, "That explains why your boys are good workers!"
To the helpers go the first spoils...
Two pints gone before we even got home.
Note to self for trip next year: go in the afternoon so we can hit the promising barbecue place on the way home!
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
scouring fleece
True confession: before today, I had never washed a sheep fleece. From a spinner's perspective, this is akin to being a cook and never cracking an egg. I had managed to avoid it to date by paying the fiber mills to do it for me, mostly because I have done so much fleece handling that by the time it comes off the sheep that I really don't want anything more to do with it.
Plus there's the whole time issue.
Today I decided to bite the bullet, in preparation for yet another farm product. I read the wisdom of the internet until I couldn't procrastinate any longer, and then jumped in with some semi-junky fleece that it wouldn't be a problem if I ruined. Feel free to skip to the next post if you have no intentions of ever washing sheep fleece!
Pre-washing:
I filled my utility sink with HOT water (luckily the water out of our tap is 150 degrees F, the minimum needed for this project), Arm & Hammer laundry detergent and Dawn dishwashing liquid (about ¼ C of each), and then gently stirred before lowering in the fleece.
Everything I read suggested it would take about three or four pans of hot water. The fleece I had was so dirty that it took over ten; I must admit I lost count. I put laundry detergent in the first pan only; the remainder were either dish detergent or plain water until it was finally clean. I made sure the water was always very hot so that the lanolin would not congeal back onto the fleece.
When the water was almost clear, I put the fleece into my dedicated barn washing machine to spin out the excess water, then laid it outside to dry in a shady spot. What, you don't have a dedicated barn washing machine? Mine is our top loader that couldn't keep up with the family laundry any longer, but is still good for the occasional load of sheep coats.
The finished result is much fluffier and cleaner than when I started: still quite a bit of VM (hay chaff, etc.) though a lot less brown!
Onto step two, hopefully sometime next week, to try and remove more of that junk while getting it ready to spin. I will probably divide it into two color piles, because the difference between the two fleeces is much more obvious without all that dirt! When I started the project I thought it was from the same sheep, but obviously not.
Everything I read suggested it would take about three or four pans of hot water. The fleece I had was so dirty that it took over ten; I must admit I lost count. I put laundry detergent in the first pan only; the remainder were either dish detergent or plain water until it was finally clean. I made sure the water was always very hot so that the lanolin would not congeal back onto the fleece.
When the water was almost clear, I put the fleece into my dedicated barn washing machine to spin out the excess water, then laid it outside to dry in a shady spot. What, you don't have a dedicated barn washing machine? Mine is our top loader that couldn't keep up with the family laundry any longer, but is still good for the occasional load of sheep coats.
The finished result is much fluffier and cleaner than when I started: still quite a bit of VM (hay chaff, etc.) though a lot less brown!
Onto step two, hopefully sometime next week, to try and remove more of that junk while getting it ready to spin. I will probably divide it into two color piles, because the difference between the two fleeces is much more obvious without all that dirt! When I started the project I thought it was from the same sheep, but obviously not.
Sunday, June 24, 2012
pigs in a wallow
Last pig video for a while, I promise, but I had to share the wallow.
The pigs created this on a very hot day last week, after we hosed them down. They took advantage of the wet spot the hose created in the pasture and set to work. About two hours later, they had this to show for it.
It's hard to get an idea of the scale of it, but as you can see from the video, it is big enough that all four pigs can fit in at one time.
An impressive feat of pig architecture. They are working on several others, some of which need to be filled in with a bale of junk hay to discourage them, but this one is their preferred hangout. They will run over if anyone walks near it, hoping that you have come to hose them down.
We have discovered that our clay soil is great for one thing at least: holding water for a pig wallow.
The pigs created this on a very hot day last week, after we hosed them down. They took advantage of the wet spot the hose created in the pasture and set to work. About two hours later, they had this to show for it.
It's hard to get an idea of the scale of it, but as you can see from the video, it is big enough that all four pigs can fit in at one time.
An impressive feat of pig architecture. They are working on several others, some of which need to be filled in with a bale of junk hay to discourage them, but this one is their preferred hangout. They will run over if anyone walks near it, hoping that you have come to hose them down.
We have discovered that our clay soil is great for one thing at least: holding water for a pig wallow.
Friday, June 22, 2012
pigs on produce
The boys have sourced fresh discarded produce for their pigs from two sources: the farm stand on the corner of our road, and their friend who works at a different farm stand.
This has made for some very happy pigs.
They come running any time they see one of the boys near the barn, where the produce is stored prior to being fed to them. Tomatoes, corn on the cob and any kind of pit fruit are particular favorites. These pigs are eating very high off the hog.
They are all clay-colored because they built a wallow yesterday. I'll try to get a video of that, sans corny voice over, at some point this weekend.
This has made for some very happy pigs.
They come running any time they see one of the boys near the barn, where the produce is stored prior to being fed to them. Tomatoes, corn on the cob and any kind of pit fruit are particular favorites. These pigs are eating very high off the hog.
They are all clay-colored because they built a wallow yesterday. I'll try to get a video of that, sans corny voice over, at some point this weekend.
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
pilgrim's progress
The house is a little quieter and less cluttered today, because Primo left on pilgrimage with his youth group early this morning.
Each kid took a walking stick and a small stone. If you look under his left arm, you can see a scallop shell, the traditional mark of a pilgrim and the symbol of our church's namesake, attached to his pilgrimage bag.
(I have no idea what the Pepsi advertising is a sign of, except perhaps unquestioning acceptance of the ubiquitous nature of corporate symbolism.)
Our town was one of the crossroads of the American Revolution. They are tracing the path of patriots and loyalists up to Boston (patriot side of history) and then to Nova Scotia (for the loyalists), to explore the themes of making choices and staying true to your beliefs.
The rest of us are left behind to take care of pigs and sheep. Secondo is doing his best to fill in for one of Primo's employers, but finding the shoes are pretty big ones to fill.
Monday, June 18, 2012
pigs on pasture
One of the things the boys had to work out was how to hot wire (i.e., electrify) a fence for the pigs. The sheep fence was all well and good, but not enough for determined hogs who like to dig and root under fences. A low hot wire was necessary to deter such behavior.
Another learning curve... it is not exactly the set-up they wanted, but by late yesterday afternoon (hence the sun in the camera lens) they were ready to let the pigs out of the catch pen.
These pigs were raised on concrete. The pens were roomy and clean, and they had access to the outdoors, but I don't think they had ever been in contact with grass before. The first thing they did in the catch pen was to eat grass and dirt.
The first thing they did when we persuaded them to leave the relative safety of the catch pen was... well, you'll see. Sorry about the video quality; the boys were in a hurry to let them out and I grabbed the first camera I could find. At the end, Primo is warning Red that the wire is hot.
By later that night they had settled down and were contentedly eating from their feeder. They set up camp in the little shed for the night. They still spend most of their time in the front of the pasture, though they have been spotted running laps together around the perimeter.
Another learning curve... it is not exactly the set-up they wanted, but by late yesterday afternoon (hence the sun in the camera lens) they were ready to let the pigs out of the catch pen.
These pigs were raised on concrete. The pens were roomy and clean, and they had access to the outdoors, but I don't think they had ever been in contact with grass before. The first thing they did in the catch pen was to eat grass and dirt.
The first thing they did when we persuaded them to leave the relative safety of the catch pen was... well, you'll see. Sorry about the video quality; the boys were in a hurry to let them out and I grabbed the first camera I could find. At the end, Primo is warning Red that the wire is hot.
By later that night they had settled down and were contentedly eating from their feeder. They set up camp in the little shed for the night. They still spend most of their time in the front of the pasture, though they have been spotted running laps together around the perimeter.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)