Yak, yak, yak, YIPE!

(Yep, late, but still, it's up now... I guess I lost track of time...)

I love to go to fiber festivals.  I usually get my quota of spinning fiber, and yarn.  It's a cash only thing for me, when the $ is gone, I am finished.

Well, with the spending...  Not the looking.

So I've found that it's absolutely a great time for me to check out the animal barns...  I have found that I know several of the sheep owners, goat owners, and get to check out the rabbits, and some exotics...

Like- a yak that was there one year.  I walked up, just a bit shy of something that large.  It was bigger than most male cattle I'd been around, and was well armored with a set of horns that were wider than said yak.

I was watching the animal, when the owner of said yak showed up...  She was telling me all about it, that it was a friendly animal, and was not one to be aggressive, and the fiber was awesome!  Come and feel it!

Tentatively, I walked up to the stall, and stroked the back of the yak, to let it know I was there.  It turned to look at me, sniffed slightly, then went back to the hay bale it was mowing though.  I talked with the gal about the care and feeding of yaks, when the owner, realizing I hadn't felt the fiber (the part used on a yak is the protective undercoat), she patted, then said, "dig in, feel that wonderful fiber!"  (Not a bit of a salesman, no siree...)

But, I will admit, I was looking at it with some thoughts... And so I, indeed, "dug in", pushing the hair apart, and sticking my hand down in the soft warmth of the undercoat.  She was right, it was just lovely soft!  I rubbed it some more... And suddenly got a right cross of a slightly dirty yak tail in my face, knocking off my glasses!

Turns out, yaks can be tickled... My glasses were not damaged, and after a quick run to the restroom, my face was okay, but, I decided to let someone else raise yaks.

I think Husband probably appreciates that more than anyone.

*******

Had a busy day at the substation... I can't talk about the specifics, but I am glad I was able to help, but sad to know that the kind of help rendered was necessary.  

But, I did have one funny thing I can share.  The Sheriff's Office has Community (Compensatory) Service work crews that are picked up and dropped off there.  At the usual drop off time, I saw a trickle of folks jump out of the work van, and leave.  And a few that stood around talking, smoking, or getting bikes unlocked to leave.  I took no notice, until a gal came in asking to use the phone about 15 minutes later.

Not unusual either.  She called, checking if X was going to pick her up, sighed when she heard the beep, and went back out.  

I finished my day, and she was still out there, about a half hour later.  I went out the back, to my vehicle, and there was a car parked behind me.  This WAS unusual, and I kept my eye on the guy.  He waved, and then poked his head out the window, "Hey, was the crew truck here?"  

"Yes, about a half hour ago."

"Huh.  I guess I missed her."

"A gal, round faced, wearing this 'n that clothes, name Pickmeup?"

An awestruck look, if I ever saw one, and he said, "Uh, yeah... Do you know-"

I pointed, "She's out front, has been waiting for you-"

He made the fastest 3 point turn I've ever seen, and was out front at near warp speed... 

Oopsie!!!

Y is for...

YOU!

In my list of blessings, this one was really at first, rather unexpected.  I started writing a blog, because I wanted to, but really had no thought that that many people would actually read it.  I was using it more as a general journal.  If someone read it, great.

Then I started having people comment.  Wow.  People were reading my blog!  And I found other folk's blogs.  I started commenting back.  I learned about other peoples hobbies, lives, and loves.  Some were truly new things for me, some were quite familiar.

And then my parents purchased computers.  They wanted to read the blog, too.  I am not sure, but I think this was the first webpage my Mom looked up by herself.  (Way to go, Mom!)  They have become much more proficient with computers, but let me know they've read the day's missive.  (But neither have commented online... Yet.) 

Husband reads my blog, too.  I don't hear a lot from him about it, but occasional things he says leads me to believe that he doesn't miss much of what he reads!

So, Mom, Dad, Husband, love you all, and hope you enjoy my 'flights of fancy'.  To all who read my blogs regularly, thank you!  To those who comment, bless you!  If you are just visiting, welcome, feel free to look around...  And I hope to give you more to read and enjoy, as time goes on!

Thanks!

Y is for Yosemite Sam.

Saturday mornings.  Occasionally mornings, when I could get away with it.  Some weekend evenings, when Disney was on... Cartoons.

I learned strange things from cartoons, now referred to as "cartoon physics".  Things like:  a saw can go through a solid object with no visible starting hole, then cut a circle...  Most animals create lifelike outlines when they go through walls, or squash out flat, then flex into an accordion-like wave to recover.  Mice always seemed to be smarter than cats, rabbits were smarter than people, or pretty much any other animal, and coyotes... Well, super-genius wasn't the term I thought of, even at 6 years old.

I found that, as I became older, the cartoons that I loved as a kid... I still loved, but for a different reason.  There were things that, though dated in some cases, (I had to try explaining an "A Card" to a child I was babysitting.  15 minutes later, explaining WW 2 and rationing, and I realized that offering a cookie made a HECK of a lot more sense...), that were geared to grown ups. Caricatures of famous people,  references to things that adults would understand.  It was like I was growing up with the cartoon.  Or catching up, depending on your perspective.

Husband and I have found we both like cartoons, both video, as well as print.  In fact, I had started reading a cartoon on line, called Endtown, (can't seem to get a link, try Go Comics and type in Endtown), and I bought the 'dead tree' editions.  I left for a meeting, and came home, Husband had all these plans for this and that he was going to do.  I asked how his day went.  He turned slightly pink, smiled, and said he'd been reading comics the whole time while I'd been away!  We now read it together in the mornings.

I also have embarrassed Husband, because I say "What's up, doc?" to our neighbor.  Who is, in fact, a doctor.  Said doctor hasn't even batted an eye, which either means he hasn't noticed, or is ignoring the reference.  Knowing the man, either is a possibility.

I hope that some of the new cartoons, and comics, give people a feeling of community the way it has for me.  So, for now,

Th-th-that's all, folks!

Young birds? Maybe??

We shall see. 

I now have 10 eggs, sitting quietly in a nest box, waiting for one of my Rhode Island Reds to get broody, and FINISH THE JOB.  I am beginning to wonder if I should just bite the proverbial bullet and get an incubator, it would certainly save this continual battle.  If it's one of the little jungle birds, I was having those show up randomly, poof, instant family.  (Ok, they used to.  Since most of them are about 7 or so, they aren't laying eggs, ergo they aren't magically showing up with chicks.)  These birds... No doing, I save out eggs for them, and the hens just look at me.  *sigh*

I read that one of the local feed stores will continue to have chicks until May 25. I may hedge my bets and get 5 or 6.  If the eggs don't end up being helped along by a hen, I would still have chicks.  If they do, I would have some older, and some younger chicks, which might be good, too.

I have put a small X on each egg (I know, should have been a small Y today, oopsie), so I know for sure that there isn't someone laying extras in that nest. I had a hen that was tiny, she ended up sitting on something on the order of 22 eggs.  Several didn't hatch, obviously.  When you have a 5 egg butt, you can't set 22 eggs...  She was very persistent, and I let her try.  I was sooo careful throwing the eggs away when she finished though.  One of my friend's sons asked if he could have the eggs, I told him I knew which teacher he didn't like, so no.  (He blushed scarlet after that remark...)

So, we shall see if the wedding day for a certain couple will bode well for baby chicks.  I would even gladly fly the Union Jack over the nest, if it would help.  (Knowing my chickens, they would think it was a "feed me" sign...)

Here's hoping that I will have a bigger flock soon...

And this, just because I thought I took a fairly decent picture...