Hopefully will be getting busy with my "new to me" flyshuttle beater, as the weather is getting colder and not a lot to do outside. This beater [used] came from Ohio and needed some serious alterations to be used on my Glimakra....it was a 150cm and needed to be re-configured to 130cm....a local community woodshop did most of the cutting....it needed new mortises and the length reduced..new holes drilled.....

Good Grief..it's taken months to get in....password issues....what a pain!!!!!...well now that I can finally post...I'll be back later......

Grape juice

Probably should update my house pix...the grapevines out front are producing...finally.  Picked some white and purple grapes to experiment with making juice.

Next step.....whirl up in the VitaMix

Next....strain through pantyhose......really...

Strained juice and the solids left

Refrigerated juice for later use in 'whatever'..........

Some great pix...9/2/13....9/3/13

 Sunrise this morning...top....wow!!!!!
Sunset last evening...bottom....electric!!!!!!

Thinking about moving my personal info to my blog.......FB is getting really tired and too nasty for my taste....more later!

Spring is Coming

Finally, it seems as though we could be looking at Spring.  Typical for March, the weather has been crazy....31 degrees to 61 degrees....wind, snow all in a 48 hour period.

The goat is still milking, so that's a good thing... and bred her stablemate in January. I have no clue if the 'date' was successful...time will tell.

Finished the second floor renovations a few weeks ago...was that a struggle.  Actually, I finished up projects that were started way back in 1999.  Geez...!!!

Looking forward to getting the garden started....Planning on doing a seed inventory in the near future.  The new seed catalogs just arrived a few weeks back and everything is sooo tempting.  I think this year I will be planting lots of potatoes and squash....tomatoes, of course and a few small batches of peas.  I found a great book for reference titled 'The Resilient Gardener'....lots of very useful information.

WOW....daylight savings time begins Saturday/Sunday
Update for Bucky:  he's doing great!

More political...tis the seacon......(@~@)

Yes...tis the season...to be stupid!  I found myself with my head spinning and my brain melting down , after this last GOP debate.  If this is all the GOP has to offer in the way of viable candidates...we are in serious trouble.  Let's begin with the moderators....planting ideas and opinions rather than questions!!!!  Good start!!!!  Newt is such a pompous ass along with his 'brother in spirit' Mitt...neither one of them has ANY foot in the real world that most of us live in.  Rick Perry is a buffoon and I don't understand why Texas even tolerates one second of his stammering.  Only the remaining 3... Santorum, Dr. Paul and Bachmann made an ounce of sense.  These 3 are the most conservative, consistent, seemingly honest, ethical and willing to tell the truth....the real truth!  Especially Dr. Paul.  He found the center of the real issues and I found it disturbing the moderators did everything in their power to change the discussion and move to other people.  One reason why TV news anchors should NEVER host a political debate.  I'll have more to say ...on politics...later...after my brain cools off!!!

Where do I begin?

Since my last post in May...so much has happened. It rained for almost 2 months straight, actually a record for this area at 56 inches so far this year. The garden was a bust because I couldn't even get in to till the ground, not much luck with mowing either. The ground was so wet the mower left huge ruts in the ground. In late June, one of my best wethers [a neutered guy sheep] took sick...really sick. It was trying one thing after another,consultations with the vets office...this drug/that drug, B-complex shots, pain killer shots...hours on the net looking for some ray of hope to get him back on track. Twice during that time...I found myself 'saying'..."if there is no improvement over this week-end...that's it". Through some miracle...he started to get better...one tiny step at a time. To this day he gets yogurt and his tonic [Power Punch from Tractor supply] at least 3 times  week.The first day he ran across the yard to get his yogurt...I knew things were good!

"Bucky"...aka Gabe in his polar fleece jacket for the Winter.  Five months doctorin' a sheep..hope the fleece is worth it!...(^_^)>>>>>

In the middle of all this ..I was finishing three rooms upstairs that had been left untouched for 13 years ....major work....re-plastered, scraping of old paint, priming, color selection and ...last but not least....finished the bathroom that has been in primer white for 13 years too....I moved here 13 years ago and started the process of a sympathetic restoration of this house built in 1834.  Is that just nutz or what?

The big thing now is the Penn State pedophile scandal....and right here in Pennsyltucky! Is the world going mad? It will be interesting to see how many more shoes drop before its' over...I'll blog more on this subject in a few days.

And if that's not enough...all this fuss about the GOP candidates...I only had the opportunity to watch this last debate and was very disappointed that the selection of the candidates to speak seems to favor only a few ...more on this subject later too.

Hopefully, I can make more time in the coming days to sound-off ....

 Later!

Sheez Back !!!!!

Well, after a long "vacation" from the blog...I'm back...The vacation has consisted of trench digging, diverting run off, starting tomatoes and other garden plants in the greenhouse..[planting them is another question for another day] and the many ongoing jobs associated with keeping a small 'homestead'.

Idol is over and Scotty has won....yippy...he was my fav from the start....The Donald decided not to run for President...too bad...I probably would have voted for him....seriously....

Saw and interesting article about the "Raw Milk Police" you might like....I did !!!

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/may/13/mopping-up-the-raw-milk-mob/?page=all#pagebreak

When will this foolishness end...A TOTAL waste of taxpayers $$$$$$$

A pix of the new little goatie...no name yet

Hopefully no rain today....it's rained most everyday since the beginning of April and it's seriously getting to be a PITA....that's not bread but pain in a body part.....

Too much Crazy, Trump and Idol

The too much crazy has been the weather...rain, rain and more rain.  The most rain recorded in my area in the last 50 years...WOW!!!..no wonder I'm just so fed-up...really...can you detect the sarcasm in my 'voice'.  It's really the MUD that follows the rain, rain and more rain!!!!!....more sarcasm and eye-rolling.

Trump...what can I say...the only bright spot in my world since the beginning of the month...well not quite [read later]  At least someone has the balls to take the game directly to the "Pres"...someone needed to and I'm really sick of the racist thing...racist...really...OK...I'll just pretend he's not black...then it won't be racist.  Hopefully The Donald will inspire more open debate and up the anty in this bullshit called politics....more sarcasm????

Now for Transylvanian Idol...I've been reading this column in the Washington Post by Lisa de Moraes....she's the best....here's the link to last nights show..

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/tv-column/post/american-idol-2011-judge-randy-jackson-calls-it-for-james-durbin-with-weeks-to-go/2011/04/27/AFep7s2E_blog.html
 
Now for the brightest spot...a little goatie born on April 18...I'll be posting some pix as soon as the sun comes out.....the vet is coming today to 'terminate his manliness' and burn his horns...yuk...!!!!

American Idol Commentary

What can I say....First....what planet have the voters come from? Hey, lets get serious here. If you can't separate quality from marginal...don't bother voting...just go drink another beer!  Pia was quality and every time she sang it was evident. Not that I'm any expert on singing or singers...but this was really off the map. All I can offer is that the voters are just too young to know the difference. I can see why the judges were totally surprised and shocked. I'll be tuning in just to see who gets the 'boot' next.

Spring Shearing

I look forward to...and dread...shearing day. The dread part is all the preparation for the "big day". Two days worth of....no...actually, I have to start earlier than that. The sheep need to be in the shed at one time...this involves rubber feed tubs and getting them to come to the shed...going inside then shutting the gate.  Of course food is the big 'carrot'. Since their diet mostly consists of hay, the grain and beet pulp is a treat and that is an incentive to come to the shed....the trick is getting them all in the shed at one time.  This takes at least a week of tricking. FUN !!!  Then I need to assemble the panels...un-assembled...inside the shed. If they come to the shed for their treats and find panels set up inside...they will never come inside.....soooo. The day before shearing, they come inside...I shut the main gate...[trapped now!!!]....they eat , rest awhile then I set up the panels. An hour before shearing, they are moved to one side of the shed...more panels...finally...the shearer arrives, sets up and 3 hours later...it's all done...THAT'S the part I look forward to...being finished, the wool bagged, the panels taken down and into the sofa to collapse.  

This year went exceptionally well...a great new shearer...he took the unwanted wool...how good does it get !!!  This year, my recovery time was a bit longer than usual...time has that effect...but it's done and now I can contact my wool ladies and get the fleece shipped out.

Another Spring...Another shearing

The next sunny day, I'll be taking some pix of the 'naked sheep' for my next post

Earthquakes, Nasty Weather and the Like

Well...what can I say...the worst earthquake in modern history has devastated northern Japan.  It will certainly take years to return from this catastrophe.  While researching quakes, I came across a great site that records all quakes around the world with related info.  I was very surprised to see all the quake activity here in the US...especially in the state of Arkansas...see for yourself:

http://neic.usgs.gov/neis/qed/  

I hope this doesn't reflect a soon to be 'next big one' !

The weather here in the NE has been unbelievable...to say the least.  60 degrees one day and 16 the next.  I do have some red romaine growing in the greenhouse, on a positive note.

Sadly, my old Lincoln ram passed peacefully this week.  He was 14, had a terrific life and left many offspring sporting his distinctive fleece type.

The Ides of March Explained

I always wondered what the Ides of March meant.....here ya go....

The term Ides comes from the earliest Roman calendar, which is said to have been devised by Romulus, the mythical founder of Rome. Whether it was Romulus or not, the inventor of this calendar had a penchant for complexity. The Roman calendar organized its months around three days, each of which served as a reference point for counting the other days:

• Kalends (1st day of the month)
• Nones (the 7th day in March, May, July, and October; the 5th in the other months)
• Ides (the 15th day in March, May, July, and October; the 13th in the other months)

The remaining, unnamed days of the month were identified by counting backwards from the Kalends, Nones, or the Ides. For example, March 3 would be V Nones—5 days before the Nones (the Roman method of counting days was inclusive; in other words, the Nones would be counted as one of the 5 days).

 

Now that's simple enough!!!!!! ( my eyes are rolling)

Light Bulbs Anyone?

I just read an article in the NY Times and thought..I need to put this in my blog:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/12/business/energy-environment/12bulb.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
 

Actually I have a stash of 100 'watters' myself ...yes, I'll admit to it!!!  The light coming from those curly bulbs is really strange....cold and gray.  I prefer the warmer 'old' bulbs for reading and weaving.  The barn and basement lights are the new curly energy efficient bulbs...I doubt the goats, sheep or old horse really have a preference and if there is a savings, I'll go for that too!

My Hopes Dashed!

Well...with 12 inches of new snow on the ground...my hopes for an early Spring are dashed!!!!  Is this a really bad joke or what?  Robins and other spring birds chirping while I'm shoveling snow is very strange. I did find a 'new' shoveling device though. My plastic muck fork [for the horse barn] works better than any real shovel I own.  Well, that's the only bright spot in this new snow scenario. One more bright spot...I received my 40/2 weaving linen in yesterdays mail.

Spring????

Yesterday I saw a large group of robins in the side yard and another 'herd' of geese flying up North.  Finally found a sheep shearer....This is not my favorite time of year...half way between Winter and Spring....frozen ground one day and slopping mud the next. 'Schlepping' around in the muck and daydreaming about the distinct smell of the ground warming. I've been procrastinating about cleaning up the greenhouse....hey...snap out of it!!!  Soon enough, it will be 90 degrees !!!

Geese on the Move

At precisely 6:23 PM this evening, a small group of geese were heading north.  I was at the barn giving hay to the goats and the old horse.  It had just turned dark, that twilight kind of darkness....and I heard the distant honking....stopping to be sure...I noticed the old horse turned her head to the sky [since she's blind, her hearing is keen]...I knew it was that old familiar sound....the honking got louder...then passed overhead and on to the north...yes...Spring is certainly on its way.  The groundhog is a crap-shoot...the geese are always right.  I was talking to an old friend later and he mentioned hearing geese a few days ago on Pine Creek...so it's a sure thing.  Now....we'll wait for the killdeer birds to show up.

Social Commentary

I watched the Grammy awards show last night....hummmm...From the sublime to the STUPID!...It was all there...The best for me was the award for the 'new guy on the block'.....B- - - - r Fever finally succumbed to something worthwhile...namely Esperanza Spalding...this gal has a resume that would impress anyone with an IQ.  I was disappointed with Bob Dylans' appearance....Bruno Mars was refreshing along with Janelle Monae...and rocker Mick Jagger once again proved that energy is not limited to the young!

Rummaging

With a few minutes of spare time...I was looking through [or rummaging] my boxes and bins of hand spun yarn, woven items and other various odds and ends...getting ready to photograph and post online.  I came across a really super rag quilt that I made last year....actually, these are very easy to sew and a 'goat friend' of mine was contemplating making one.....

 Maybe it's time to get busy...I have many projects 'in the pipeline'....and at least there's no snow to shovel today....actually, the forecast is for warmer weather this week....FINALLY!!!!!