Returning. In which I compose a blog. Or compost one...

I actually had written "compost" to begin with.  Not exactly an auspicious start, I would say.

Eh.

So, what have I been doing? Well, faire, obviously, since that's what the last (long, LOONG, LOOOONG ago) blog was about.

I finally took a make up class for the one day I had missed in the Citizens academy (cough2008coughcough), and then have been an Ambassador for a class.  Which means that I make GALLONS of coffee, for a lot of very intense young (mostly male) people.  Where I have seen several of the classes, people are chatting, interacting, and generally seem to be enjoying themselves, this group takes copious notes, and looks like there will be a pop quiz that is half their grade at the end. (One detective even commented on it during class. Only the other deputies laughed, and me.  The class took more notes.  Strange...)

I went to a fiber fest.  Husband would probably have been upset had I brought these home... Actually, I think my ride might have too, since we were in a Prius, with a baby in the back...  (But, Honey, it's yarn on the hoof!)  

I also saw several llamas.  I was surprised, there were some babies, but the only llamas for sale, were adult males.  This cutie kept flirting with me, I suspect he thought I had food in my carry bag.  Or he has a thing for plump gals making goo goo eyes at him...

 

My usual shift at the substation.  We had the computer melt down, so this month has been re-writing the newsletter from scratch, which includes digging up logos and such.  That has been a bit of a challenge.  One of the days I was there, I had a woman nearly demand I look up a license plate, because... 

She wanted to buy the vehicle in question.  (No, the Sheriff's Office, Police Department, etc. do not do this.)

I have picked quite a few vegetables, found out the kohlrabi is a hit with a friend of mine, so much so, that one day when I was gone, Husband offered several of the remaining ones to him.  Uh, Husband, THOSE WERE MINE... Sheesh.  There is a couple left, so I at least will get a little try of them...  However, I do have several cups of vegetable soup from my garden that I have frozen for winter.  Quasi-recipe, for any that want it:

Lazy Gardener's Veggie Soup.

5 cups water.

Vegetable Soup Mix (I used Knox)

Tomatoes.

Beans (I used Navy and Pinto)

Onions

Zucchini

Crookneck squash

Carrots

Cook beans until tender.  Remove skins from tomatoes and chop.  Chop all other veggies from garden.  Put in pot, simmer until tender.  Add beans, mix. Freeze.  Add Garlic powder if Husband doesn't catch you.

Like I said, lazy.  There may even have been more stuff than that, but that's what I can remember.  

I finished an Edwardian Cape and matching hat for a new baby and her older sister (pictures to come.)

Finally got some blackberries picked and, for lack of a better term, mashed.  I now have several cups of juice that Husband loves dearly on ice cream.  I now only wish I had picked more...

I also picked apples...

(Tea box for scale.)  I have most of this batch made into applesauce, and then I have some more to pick and sauce-ify.  Then I can work on my Walnut trees, if I can beat the deer, squirrels, and turkeys.  

And the rainy season is starting here, just in time for it to warm up, figuratively speaking, for Halloween.  Most costumes match the raincoats, around here...  Halloween falls on a Monday this year, I have decided if I get my act together, I might go as a hippie this year.  We shall see.  

Baby Hal has been (frantically knocking wood), doing quite well.  There seems to be some problems behind the keyboard, but it has been improving, and it certainly does much better than our TV.  Our news has almost entirely been from the computer of late, which tells you the quality of our reception here... 

I also started a Twitter account, but it looks like it will probably be as hit and miss as the regular blog.  I guess I have to realize that I have to actually WRITE something for it to show up, since I can't blog or tweet by telekinesis.  Pity, that.

I am also knitting...  A scarf or two, and a blanket, for my charities.  Some socks for myself.  A present for Mom.  A baby blanket for a different charity.  A new sweater for me.  

And I am still working off and on on my book.  Right now more in my head than on paper, but it's still in the queue, at any rate.  

That doesn't take into account the normal I have to get groceries, my spinning days, and just running around when we need something.  

Still exercising, too, Rudee is getting arthritis, so I am doing some things to supplement, as we can't walk as much.  Well, he can't anyway.  

So, I guess, perhaps I should shut up, and check some other blogs...  Certainly been away long enough! 

SHHEEEESH!

And just 'cuz, more pictures of veggies.

Roving Reporter. She reports some! Fiber Saturday, last.

I was hoping to have this up earlier, but had some computer problems, corrected now...

I was at the door at 9 when OFFF opened, was looking for a few specific things, having scouted the night before. I have an electric “Duncan” carder, and needed a belt. I met THE gentleman named Duncan it was named after! And, he had the belt! Pooyah! I went to Fantasy Fibers, they are a company who has a spinning fiber called “Mystery Batt”. I normally would buy a LOT of the stuff, for two reasons, it’s absolutely fun to spin, and can get that lot for a fairly inexpensive price, and I love the colors.

Um.

The main color was Barbie © pink.

Yuck.
I don’t like pink (only excepting a blazing, dayglo, eye blinding magenta-y pink), so I didn’t get much of that. However, they also had Natural colored batts. I have a project that I am hoping to make Dad for Christmas, so I found that to be perfect. (In case he’s reading this, I won’t mention the project at this point…) I then walked around, found a green variegated puff, stared longingly at the fluff ball rabbits again, listened to mini goats being judged, listened to a teenage girl whine about the abused sheep… “It’s like if someone took off OUR hair and made coats! It’s EVIL!”

Am I a sinner because I donated 13 inches of my hair to Locks of Love? And I am supposed to let my llamas have coats that are 6-8 inches thick during a 95 degree day?? And can I put her in a cotton jacket and throw her in a snow bank in upper Minnesota??? Snarl! I think she kind of misses the point of a FIBER show… I decided that discretion was the better part of keeping my temper, and wandered on.

The day continued with looking at all the wonderful yarns, fiber batts, and just plain "stuff".  Went in, made myself some lunch, and decided to sit on my bed and read.  2 hours later, I woke, and decided if I wanted to do anything else, I had better get up!

I walked around looking at the llamas, and watched a bit of llama judging.  Most had been sheared, but for lack of a better term, they had "poodle cut".  BIIIIG fluffy legs, no hair on the belly, and the necks were sort of trimmed.  Didn't look bad, just different.  I would have loved to get some goats that were in the next barn.  I had to be careful, sheep and goats that are at the fiber fair, seem to be very human oriented, to the point if you lean your hand against the rails of the pen, you will more than likely have a finger doubling as a nursing teat...  And some aren't gentle about it, either. 

I finally decided to go spin because I was getting a bit tired of walking.  I went to the spinning group, and while I wasn't a big talker, I enjoyed listening to the various conversations, as well as smelling the wonderful scents of cooking nearby.  (Cabrito and lamb, I think, but what ever it was, my salivary glands got a work out whenever the breeze changed.)

Had a pretty good night, I think the trains only went by about 4 or 5 times, some years it seemed like it was hourly.  For some reason I am aware of them, but they don't really bother me. 

The next morning was a quick look around the fair at any last minute things I wanted to make a mental note to get online later (funds can only go so far...), and then break camp and go home.  (I must not have been the only one less than thrilled with the color choices of pinky pink.  There was probably a third of a bin left. Normally it goes in a morning!)

One cute thing, the fair has music in the spinning area, the musicians started on Saturday with "Baa Baa Black Sheep", and Sunday it was pouring.  They started then with "You Are My Sunshine". 

I laughed, and squished, all the way back to my trailer...

Coming soon, the stories of Shrewsbury and CERT training.

When? 

Um, well...  Hey, look, a fluff ball bunny!

Your "roving" reporter from OFFF

Hello, one and all, I am writing this from the Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival.  I arrived a day early (it actually opens tomorrow, I get here a day early so that I can stake claim on MYstuff see what new items have arrived, and I have done this for a few years now.  In fact, the vendors have just started assuming I am another vendor. 

I probably will be writing a shorter blog, I am using an unsecured, somewhat slow (it's faster than dial-up, but not by much), and very spotty connectivity, it varies from fair to poor...  Pictures might or might not happen until I get home.  But I will try and describe as well as I can.

Right now, with set up, it looks like a big campground, all sorts of big white, blondish, and blue or green tents.  (Why that is the common color for plastic tents, I don't know.)  Fiber, on and off the animal.  In fact, yours truly was petting a lovely little Angora rabbit.  I haven't gone into the barns yet, but there is always some llamas, alpacas, sheep and goats.  Occasionally exotics, but not as much the last few years.  Chinchillas the last couple years, we shall see what wonders await me in the barns tomorrow.  I like going in the barns early, when there isn't as much "traffic", and feeding is usually the most activity.  (When you are used to getting up at 5, this isn't hard to accomplish...)  Walked around the main buildings, spinning wheels, yarn, fiber, more fiber, more yarn, drool puddles...

Oh, that was me.  Never mind. 

I have worn my Citizen's Academy shirt to this for a year or two, and wore it again this year.  I then have to tell people I am NOT security.  I finally just said a non-committal "hmm" when something was mentioned about my "job".  I guess when you are setting up, and see someone walking around with a star on the t-shirt, it makes sense that you'd figure it was security of some ilk. 

Well, the connection here is getting iffy, my eyelids are drooping, (bedtime for Cat), so I will wrap it up with a wish that all my readers are doing well, as I can't seem to call up much in the way of blogs (even my own), and so I will say Good Night, and will write more fluff tomorrow.

If I am not busy buying it...

The Case of the Spilled Spinach...

It was such a lovely time at OFFF. I had worn some white pants, and had wandered around in the yarn areas, fiber areas (!), and even in the barns. (!!!) I decided I was hungry. It was breezy, so I opened the window behind the stove, and the door, opposite the stove. I thought, I still have some spinach left over from last night, I will heat it up and finish it! Yum!!

So, I did. Well. It was breezy that day. I had eaten most of my meal, when a gust came up. Now you have to understand, that in my trailer, the stove has a cover, that stands up when the stove is in use. The breeze went through from the window to the door... Pushing the cover down. On the spinach pot. That wasn't quite empty... ON THE FLOOR. AND MY PANTS.

After some panicked wiping, digging spinach out with sponge, towel, and even a butter knife (spinach is sort of like gold leaf, but not in a good way, it sticks and stays...) and just sort of, Oh, G*D! This is... Not going to ruin my stay!

And it didn't. Husband looked at it, and said, well, guess I know what the next pressure washer job is going to be.

So, after a heavy amount of Husband's elbow grease and pressure washing, the carpet is clean.

After my taking out almost all the stuff from around and washing it down, cleaning all the burners, wiping down the fridge (directly UNDER the stove), and mopping the bare floor, twice, it now is clean, and doesn't smell like... Rotten spinach.

And Husband hates the smell of spinach to begin with. That's why I had it at OFFF, so he wouldn't have to deal with the smell. But I guess the wind had other plans.

But the pants are OK... Mom said that perhaps I shouldn't push my luck wearing them to that event again... Perhaps she's right! I might want spinach again!!

Oh, my Fantasy Fiber Flock!

So. FINALLY got slowed down, cripes and a high half, September was busy! I went to Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival (and it's the first time I could actually use my OFFICIAL TYPE name, "Fur 'n Feathers Farm". Not selling or anything, just thought it was cool.)

Anyway, so, I now am in love with several critters, so have now decided some folks have a fantasy league of various sports? I have a fantasy FLOCK!

To wit:

This fine critter has incredibly soft fiber. He came up, and after a wee bit of sniffing (camelids seem to have this thing about checking out your face by sniffing it. A vast improvement over doggy methods, in my opinion, even if camelids do occasionally need a breath mint.) And the nice gent who let me pet said camel told me that two would fit nicely on the amount of property I have! And since I have llamas already, gee, I would only need ONE... (I do actually want to get a camel, but there is rather pointed objections from someone in the house. And it ain't the dog, folks!)



No, they didn't put an exploded cotton ball in a cage. This little cutie is a bunny. I think an angora, but I am not completely sure. There was a large contingent of children around the cage, and I wasn't able to get the info on it. But it is cute, it is massively fuzzy, and hey, this one is small enough to put in the chicken house, or garage, without too much problem. Maybe two or three? Hmmm.



This is a Jacob sheep, I believe. (It might be Navajo-Churro, but I am pretty sure the multiple horns lead to Jacob.) This would be some lovely fiber for spinning, and these guys pretty well can care for themselves. Yearly checkup and maintenance, food, make sure that they have water and shelter, ya pretty much have it covered. Or at least that's what the sales lady/owner told me. I keep wondering if they leak out of holes in fences as much as standard sheep. I can see my neighbors calling to see if this "horny sheep" is mine.



These guys were neat, too, but a little past their prime for shearing, I think.



This is a maybe. I was rather pleased with the quality of the under hair of this yak. BUT... I was raised around cows. Cows can be obnoxious, and with those horns... Hmmm. I also note, I was checking the undercoat, and can assure you all, that a yak's tail, when connecting with a person's face, will feel very like getting swatted with a whisk broom, and can knock glasses off. NOT good, for she who has 20/roadkill vision. But they are (or at least the ones at the fest) were heavily laid back, and were more interested in snoozing than much of anything else.

There was also LOTS of llamas, a few alpaca, some goats, (didn't get a picture of one other in my line up, a Cashmere goat), and a... Chinchilla? A grey colored thing that looked like a cross between a rabbit, a kangaroo, with a side order of rat and squirrel thrown in for visual interest. I was not exactly sure the little guy was even REAL until the owner sat it on the table and it started wandering around. OK, I have my limits. That was just a little TOO exotic for me.

This year, anyway.

Off to OFFF.

Never said this was a daily...

My Mom had a birthday, and I think I did an OK job with the cake. I wish I had more practice with the normal roses you put on a cake, but that will have to be a 'winter project'.



Had another year with Shrewsbury. Went OK, wish I hadn't had to take a nap midday, I was beat. Dad was going strong late into the night. I think I need more caffeine... Mom's leg was bothering her and she didn't attend.




Next "door" neighbor across the street tried to burn his field. Half burned, the other half fizzled. So he plowed it under. Made for an interesting show, though.


Have been getting a great haul from my garden. Lovely crookneck, the occasional zuke, a pumpkin is growing, late corn coming on, sunflower is HUGE, beans are finished... Then there is my "cheddar" cauliflower. Icky. It is big, bad and buggy. I guess I will have to do something different with it next year. BUT, they did grow!!!

So, hopefully, I will be able to post a bit more, maybe... But, I have ONE more biggie type event. The Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival. (OFFF). If I survive heavy inhalation of wool fumes, I will have pictures... Then I think I am free for a bit. Except for the T'ai Chi with Mom. Tutoring Dad on the Internet. Oh, and I am doing some Charity knitting. And the socks...

*Sigh* Never Mind...