September. Oh. Eeeeeeeeeep!

Well.  August, guess I should get around and write a blog.  

What?

It's not August?  I haven't written a blog for...

A MONTH?!??!?

Ack! I don't know what to say, except, I have been doing "stuff".  I have been at several Neighborhood Watch meetings as a sidekick (I am NOT an assistant, says Le Boss Guy) .  I even headed one up by myself a couple days ago, while he was on vacation.  It's been fun, and sounds like the next month or two might be busy with same.

I have been working a full day, once a week at the substation.  I still can't get on the computer to write a blog there yet, I might have to consult an IT person. You know, for the vital stuff...  

It could get interesting soon, if we don't get some help.  We are getting low on volunteers to cover the counter at the substation...  The one minor disadvantage of having retired folks work this job, is that some of them are snowbirds, and so we end up having a distinct lack of participation in the winter months.  I am doing one full day, to cover an afternoon shift, as one person right now is having a bit of a time.  She might leave, she might not, but I am enjoying having a full day to do things.  Some have been for the Sheriff's Office, (cleaning out and sorting all the flyers and brochures we have there.  I later had to take a Benadryl as I had found the mother load of dust on a few of the shelves), typing what I have written for my story, (I am not writing all that quickly, even by hand, but sadly, I have 22 longhand pages... 22 longhand = 9 typed.  I think this is going to take  a while), and working on some projects both knitted and spun.  To that end:

I learned a "new" method of spinning, it's Blackfoot Spindle spinning.  I have a bit of a problem with my shoulder, and have never liked to drop spindle, I can do about 2 minutes before my shoulder feels like someone is testing a meat cleaver on it.  

This is a method where the spindle is held sideways, and I have been able to do this with ease.  I am going to do this at my Renaissance Faire, even though it's not "period", I am of the mind, most people there don't even know what I am doing.  

(To wit:  I have been asked if I am knitting/weaving/crocheting, I have been asked how the string becomes fluffy when I do that, and more often than not, I am told that it is so complex, that they couldn't EVER do something like that... whereupon, I usually find the smallest child around and teach the skill in about 2 minutes... Ahem.)

The one and only thing I have to remember when using this drop spindle, do NOT walk up on a deputy with his back turned when using it.  I didn't think how a 12 inch long pointed object might come across to someone... Let's just say, said deputy jumped a bit when he saw what I had. (Fortune would have it I can walk and spin at the same time, and so he saw what I was doing with it), but he still looked slightly wall eyed at me...

I am planning a memorial at the aforementioned Ren Faire for a dear friend that died.  Also, trying to get t-shirts printed for the faire.  

I have made several pints of blackberry and raspberry jelly, dried veggies for soup, froze some, getting ready for pears and apples.  Oh, and made beef jerky.  I really like my dehydrator...

On the not so good side, I lost Longtail the Rooster.  He was killed by a hawk, we suspect.  I walked out, and he was just flat out on the cement by the hen house, and all the girls were frighted and huddled, hidden in the back.  It was lonely out there with no crowing.  

Husband, about a week later, found a ad for a Salmon Faverolle Rooster.  We took it home, and it was rather shy at first.  I think it wasn't used to so many chickens.  It's a very docile guy, and I think quite good looking.  It doesn't have any tail feathers at the moment, but I think it will grow some soon.  He's fairly young, so his crow is sort of like Cock a doooooo (sqeeeeee).  The squeeeee is a big breath in!  

He was a family pet, named Duz, I was thinking I wanted something French for his name, as well. 

So, I introduce you to  Duz, Mon Ami 'a Plumes. 

(It's hard to see, but he has feathers on his feet!)

So, Mon Ami, he's getting along with the girls now, eating well, and seems quite happy with his new surroundings, except he looks so confused when the girls go out in the field to catch bugs.  He watches them intently, but hasn't ventured out yet.  He was a backyard pet, so I am sure he isn't quite used to the idea of wandering... Unlike Henrietta, the one chicken we have, that has now trained us to go let her back in each afternoon. She takes her constitutional around the barn and through the big gate that isn't chicken proof, and doesn't think to go back the way she came... Pbbt.

Husband also bought us a treadmill.  He really doesn't want me to walk up the hill, I am a bit intimidated by the buses, horse trailers, and butt heads people who drive very fast on the road, so we have some place indoors to walk, and it will be okay to walk, even in foul weather.  It folds up against the wall like a Murphy Bed, so we named it Murphy Mill.  We've also made jokes about hamster wheels... 

Now I have to go get my water bottle and some sunflower seeds... Talk to you later!