Too Long!

Oh my gosh! I cannot believe that it has been almost two weeks since I last wrote a blog post. Where does the time go? These cold, gloomy, blustery days just make me want to nap and knit; which I have done way too much of, by the way.

Today I had a wonderful farm visit with a lovely woman who I met last October when I did an all day spinning demonstration at our local nature preserve's Oktoberfest. When I do these demos and re-enactments I hand out my business card and tell people who seem interested to call and arrange for a visit to see the alpacas. Yolanda is the first person who actually took me up on the offer and I was so glad to welcome her and her daughters and their girlfriend this afternoon. It certainly made this glum day much brighter.

The animals put on a good show for our guests. In the barn the girls held out their hands with offerings of sweet feed for the alpaca girls, who obliged by nibbling the molasses/grain treat. If the kids were at all timid before meeting the alpacas, the feeling quickly dissolved after this experience.

Took, Leezza and Mango hightailed it in the opposite direction when my visitors and Callie and I opened the barn gate and came into their territory. The boys were, as usual, very nosy and not at all intimidated by Callie or the strangers in their midst. They hung around their gate, eager for their sweet feed and apple flavored snacks. The kids were delighted by the boys, and Nikko even ventured one of his sniffy "kisses" for Yolanda who was brave enough to hold her face at his level!

Yolanda was busily snapping pictures of the girls and the alpacas while our Callie dog and the little boys, Asterius and Brutus, were sniffing each other out. Unfortunately, I was so busy "teaching" that I forgot the camera in my pocket. I didn't take even one picture of the visitors so you'll have to check out this old picture of Rich at the gate feeding treats to the boys and imagine two women and three girls and a black dog in place of Rich.

One of the children dropped an apple flavored snack onto the ground on the alpaca side of the gate and Callie, who loves the treats, too, flattened herself out and pushed her head under the fence to retrieve it. Her first attempt left her a few inches short of the treat when her shoulders got hung up under the fence. She backed up two or three times until she figured out how to push her head and one leg under far enough to achieve success and gobble up the treat. Callie is always entertaining and had us all laughing.

My guests left  with cheery promises to return when the weather is warmer and the pasture is drier. I look forward to seeing them again.

Asterius and Brutus have been in the big boy pasture for almost two weeks now and have adapted very well. Where Asterius was a bit confused when we released him into the pasture with Nikko, Brutus just ran on in and headed for his friend. The difference, I think, was that Asterius was being weaned from his mama, Took, while Brutus's mama, Firenze, had died and he had been without her for two months. Both of the little boys hang out together most of the time, grazing and sleeping side by side; while Nikko looks on seeming to guard them. On nights when the weather is windy and nasty, the two little ones sleep inside the condo and Nikko sleeps just outside the door. It's funny how each animal has a distinct personality and role in our small herd.

Pi Day

It has been over two weeks since I last wrote an entry and for that I'm sorry to those who actually read my ramblings. We left town on February 27th to attend niece Annie's wedding in St. Petersburg, Florida and I just don't blog when we're on vacation. I pretty much unplug from electronic communication except for my cell phone because I want to enjoy the sites and sounds of each new place Rich and I explore together. I also want to focus my attention on Rich and just enjoy his company and the electronics always seem to get in the way. Anyway, I'm obviously having trouble getting back into the groove. At first we had some chores to catch up on when we got back and after that I just found excuses. So here goes...

Besides the fact  that Annie and Drew make a lovely couple and he so obviously cherishes her, we love him because he survived two of our family reunions at Lake Hope! You gotta love a guy who can,us  not just put up with us but also blends nicely into our crazy extended family. He even had an entry in the annual cook off this year. He didn't win but then neither did I. Better luck next year.

Rich and I left for Charleston, South Carolina the day after the wedding where we had a lovely stay at the Cannonboro Bed and Breakfast. It is one of many historical homes in the city.We also enjoyed exploring the many beautiful old churches in the city. St. Michael's was one of our favorites. Charleston is a lovely city with so much history. 

We spent a day at Ft. Sumpter and the USS Yorktown which is anchored  at Patriot's point. Porpoises followed our ferry to and from the fort. The first time I have ever seen them in the wild. Awesome!

Upon our return we transferred seven-month-old Asterius into the big boy pasture with our young stud, Nikko. We had decided that it was time to wean him from his mother, Took, since she had been walking away from him lately and not letting him nurse as often. The whole procedure went very smoothly. Took was unconcerned and didn't seem to notice he was gone. Asterius was a bit confused at first but after he started to explore and then play with Nikko he seemed ok with it. No crying, screeching or humming in distress. 

Brutus is next. He's a month younger and smaller so we want to give him time to grow a bit. If you remember he was already weaned because his mama, Firenze, died in January. One of our chores last weekend was to begin halter training Brutus since he's six-months-old. Rich held him while I buckled on the teeny tiniest halter that we have. It just fit over his little snout. I snapped on the lead and just stood there waiting until he realized that he was now under my control. He tugged and pulled a bit before he stopped and stared at me.

We had a bit of a stand off for a few minutes, just staring at each other. I cooed and sweet talked him until he took that first step toward me, then praised him, telling him what a good boy he was. This went on for a few minutes before he walked more than a couple of steps at a time. He finally walked out of the safety of the barn and into the open with the others. The entire training session took about 15 minutes and we were satisfied with this first time. We'll try again this weekend.

And finally, today is pi day, March 14th, 3/14... We always used to celebrate this day in the teachers' lounge by bringing pies to sample throughout the day. This was first established by the "other" Linda in the school; the one who taught math, as opposed to me, the one who taught English. So tonight, in honor of "pi day" and the "other" Linda, I made lemon, blackberry tartlets for dinner. Yum!

A Positive Attitude

In the face of record low temperatures and snowfall predictions for the last week in February I am trying very hard to keep a positive attitude. I saw a robin the other day. Spring can't be far behind I tell myself. Seed catalogs have been showing up in the mailbox for the past month; another sign of preparation for springtime. Then the memory of crocus and daffodils sprouting in the garden last February brings me back to earth. There is nothing like that outside right now and no sign of spring blossoms anytime soon.

And then again, forcing myself to think positively, I have completed several knitting projects this winter. The ice and deep snow in our driveway and on our country back road have so often prevented me from hopping into the car to go shopping or visiting friends that I have spent the inside knitting or spinning. The result of this is a larger than usual output of knitted clothing for me and mine.

Before Christmas, I finished  a pair of socks for each granddaughter:

Olivia's socks are the Froot Loop pattern by Khristi Geraci that I found on Ravelry.com I  knit them from Knit Picks Stroll hand painted sock yarn in the legwarmer colorway.

Zaidee's socks are the Maple Leaves pattern from 2-at-a-time Socks book by Melissa Morgan-Oakes. I knit these in the same Stroll hand painted sock yarn in the juicebox colorway. Zaidee is nine years old and very tall for her age and has already outgrown her socks which means that my daughter, Susie, has a new pair of hand-knitted socks! I will need to get to work on another pair for Z.

I made a rather intricate shawl in a beautiful Brown Sheep Company turquoise magic Lanaloft worsted wool that I picked up at the Mid-Ohio Fiber Fair that was held in Wooster last fall. The shawl is called Braided Glory by Deby Lake and I was taken by the woven panel in the front of the shawl that makes it a slip over rather than a wrap around. I don't usually wear shawls but I made an exception for this one.

The Sand Dunes socks by Phyll Lagerman I made for myself out of another Knit Picks Stroll sock yarn.  This time I chose the Stroll Tweed in North Pole Heather, a beautiful icy light blue. I think that it makes the socks look more like waves than sand dunes. Either way I have a warm, comfy pair of socks.

Our niece just had another beautiful baby girl so of course I had to whip up a pair of baby socks using the left over yarn from Olivia and my socks and send them off to little Brynlee, the newest addition to the family.
This pattern was another from Ravelry. It's called Lise-Loten pikkkuiset sukat by Paula Loukola. This may become my go-to pattern for babies from now on. It was fun to knit.

I only wish that I had my yarns from my own animals but though I sent them to a mill in Pennsylvania last October I still do not have them back! I think that I will try another mill here in Ohio for this year's crop of fleece. Shearing time is coming up on the last weekend in April and that's not very far away really. This will be little Asterius and Brutus's first time on the shearing floor and we need to be working with them at home, haltering them up and leading them around the pasture. It will make it so much easier when it comes time to transport them to a central shearing location not far from here.

Asterius has developed a lush, crimpy and very fine baby fleece that would make lovely fingering yarn. I was a bit worried about Brutus's fleece development when his mama, Firenze, died before he was fully weaned, but I needn't have. He has developed a full, crimpy fine baby fleece in a rich carmel brown color.

All of the animals have spent too much time in the barn and are beginning to feel cooped up. They don't mind the bitter cold weather that has had their human friends running for cover, but the animals don't really like the high winds and so stay inside on those days. Yesterday was a milder day with less wind and they all ventured out into the pasture. The two little boys love to romp and wrestle in the snow.

Yesterday even Leezza was feeling frisky and engaged in a little neck wrestling with Brutus.

Callie lurked about inside the barn and outside while I snapped pictures of the herd. The alpacas aren't afraid of her anymore and while they don't actually like her they tolerate her presence. The two little ones, Brutus and Asterius, are very curious about her and will actually come up to the fence where Callie is poking about. The three animals go nose to nose through the fence sniffing each other out and all is well until Callie barks and sends the little boys running off into the pasture!

All the while that the mamas and babies played in their pasture, our little man, Nikko, laid contentedly in his patch of sun near the gate watching the action next door. Very soon he will have company in the "stud" pasture as first Asterius and later Brutus will be joining him. It is about time to wean Asterius and as soon as Brutus puts on a few more inches in height and a few more pounds he will need to be in with the big boys, too.

Snow Shoveling, Starving Rabbits and Peanutbutter Cheesecake

To Whom it May Concern:

No more snow, PLEASE!

Last night we had 3-4 more inches of snow, sleet, and freezing rain. This morning our county and all of the surrounding counties had a level 3 snow emergency. After Rich and his brother, Danny spent over an hour clearing away the snow in our driveway this morning, the temperature has risen to over 30 degrees and it's still climbing. The remaining snow and ice on the walkways and driveway is melting off and the meteorologists are predicting rain in the coming days. Even with the warm up, the piles of snow left around the driveway from previous clean ups won't melt until June at the earliest.

While Rich shoveled the pasture gates and barn doors clear, Danny took the tractor into the main pasture area to clear out a playground for the mamas and babies. The alpacas don't like to walk on the crusty, icy kind of snow that had built up in the pasture. They have bipartite feet with pads, similar to a dog's, and a large toenail on each part. The icy build up must hurt those soft pads.

It's not that they don't like snow, per se. Most of the time they sleep in a group right outside in the barnyard and in the morning we find them with snow or frost on their backs. Leezza and the younger ones actually like to roll in the freshly fallen, soft snow.

As Rich shoveled around Nikko's gate and cleared a path to his condo for the little man, Nikko curiously poked his nose into Rich's back and generally got in the way. His behavior is more amusing than bothersome and it made us laugh to see him follow the path of Rich's shovel and the flying snow as it was heaved over the fence.

Once Danny and Rich had finished working in the pasture we released the girls and babies from confinement in the barn. They rushed en mass into the pasture where they stood looking around in bewilderment. It didn't take long before Mango was trying to graze in the nubbins of grass that poked up through the remaining snow cover and the little boys, Asterius and Brutus, began wrestling in the snow. Happy animals!

Remember those cute little bunnies that Callie had been making a game of chasing?  I thought it was so endearing that they were hanging out with the concrete garden rabbit in my little hosta/peony garden. They are not so cute anymore. Not since last night when I discovered that they have eaten all of the bark off of our beautiful tree peony. We have been nursing that small shrub through cold winters and summer droughts for the past five years and it has provided us with more and more of the most beautiful, ruffled, pink blossoms every June. I find very little consolation in the fact that they are eating well in such a harsh winter and I very much doubt that the Japanese peony will survive the attack of the killer bunnies.

On a more positive note, I drove down and picked up our granddaughter, Olivia, on Friday because she had a scheduled day off school and had expressed a wish to come up and stay. Olivia, grandson, Max, and I shopped at the North Market for some gourmet ravioli to fix for our Valentine's Day dinner. We enjoy the shopping expedition and ate lunch at the market after which I dropped Max off at home and Olivia and I headed north. She had a new recipe for mini peanut butter cup cheese cakes that I helped her prepare for g-pa's dinner surprise. Yummy!

Olivia and I have been cooking and baking together since she was slightly over a year old and could sit on the counter or stand on a stool beside me in the kitchen. She enjoys finding and developing new recipes and serving them up to friends and family as much as I do and we always have a good time doing it. I am a lucky g-ma to have an almost sixteen-year-old granddaughter who still likes to spend time with me.

Baking and Bunnies

Is it just me or does anyone else have the urge to bake something when the snow and cold keeps us inside? I have baked quite a few batches of cookies, muffins, cookie bars and bread. Today I said to myself, "Enough, already!" Even though I freeze most of each batch, that hasn't stopped either Rich or I from visiting the fridge and grabbing a snack now and then. Way too often, in fact. So, today I vowed not to bake for at least a month.

Saturday, I had an excuse to bake because we finally had that beer tasting party that had been cancelled before Christmas due to weather and many of our guests being ill. It was a small gathering of select friends and we had it out in the weaving studio, warmed by Rich's grandmother's old wood stove. Even though it was raining pitchforks and hammer handles we were cozy and warm inside. The menu consisted of a variety of mini appetizers, (baking again!) gourmet cheeses, crackers, chips and dips, and of course, beer. It was a beer tasting after all. Rich and I enjoyed this small gathering of like-minded friends, with the conversational sparring and laughter.

Last evening when we went out to tend to the alpacas we found them gathered in the pasture, looking towards the woods. When I followed their gaze I discovered that they were looking at a small herd of twelve or so deer grazing in the corn stubble about half way back to the woods. They seemed to be more interested in checking out the deer than they were in eating their nightly ration of sweet feed.

Except...Brutus. He initially ran out with the others to watch their rusine friends. (I learned a new word here and just had to use it. You know, bovine=cow, porcine=pig, ovine=sheep; well, rusine=deer. Forgive me, I am such a teacher!) But Brutus didn't stay long. He was more hungry than curious, so he ran back into the barn by himself to scarf up the food before the others could crowd him out.

Each of our animals has their own personality and I love them all, but I can't help it...I have a special place in my heart for Firenze's little boy. Brutus is a such a survivor and every time I see his fluffy, caramel-brown little body I just have the strongest urge to grab him and give him a big hug! You can't help but smile when he looks at you with that innocent expression and shiny, black eyes.

Callie has been living her own little drama during this snowy weather. It seems that a rabbit has been spending the winter months living under the porch on the front of the studio and it is driving Callie nuts. It is a very brave little bunny, evidenced by the tracks in the snow that often lead right up onto the front porch of the house!

When we go outside to retrieve the mail or do chores Callie goes into tracker mode and follows the freshest tracks in hopes of the prize. So far, the rabbit easily outruns her. In the evening, when Rich lets the dog out for the last time he switches on the porch light and checks the front yard first. Several times the bunny has been sitting at the end of the sidewalk by the driveway waiting, as if she/he knows what time it is. As Rich opens the storm door the rabbit takes off and Callie runs after her in hot pursuit. So far the Rabbit is winning and that's the way we would like it to continue. Callie is not quite the hunter her papa Gus was and for her the fun is in the chase.

Cabin Fever, Begone!

My husband will tell you that I have been growing increasingly more grumpy the longer I have been confined to the house by the frigid weather...and he would be right! I have snapped at him for no really good reason on several occasions over the past four or five days. Yesterday Rich even told me to go visit the grandkids who were out of school today and that involves a drive of an hour and a half. Instead I contacted one of my good friends and drove over to meet her for lunch today. A wise move. We arrived at the restaurant at noon and two hours later, when the place had emptied out and the servers were cleaning up the buffet and shooting irritated looks at us we were still chatting. We both must have needed this outing.

This evening, just after Rich got home and before we sat down to supper, we went out to the barn to release the herd into the pasture for the first time in a week. Last Wednesday evening when the temperatures first sank below zero and the wind chills were worse we confined the animals to the barn. They are comfortable in there and don't seem to mind it too much. During the daytime, Rich opens the barn door enough for them to see outside and vent the moisture out. He puts up a gate so that they cannot get out but can see outside. When we went out this evening, this is what we saw:

Actually, at first all five were gazing wistfully outside but Took and Asterius were the only two left by the time I had taken off my gloves, turned on the camera and snapped the picture. The others had their attention diverted by Rich who had entered the barn by the other door.

I helped Rich harness up Nikko and lead him over into his own pasture and then I set myself up with the camera just outside their door so that I could catch the picture when Rich removed the gate. This is what I captured as they rushed out into the pasture:

The kids had been suffering from a bout of cabin fever just like me and could hardly wait to play in the snow. Leading the pack is Took with her "baby" Asterius on her right and her grown up daughter, Mango on her left. Brutus is in the middle of the pack and Leezza is bringing up the rear. You can see Nikko in the background checking out the "condo" that he hadn't seen in the past week. What followed was a joyful sight as they rolled and romped in the snow.

First they walked around in the area cleared out by my wonderful brother-in-law, Danny, with the tractor bucket. Just checking out the snow drifts. Then as a group they ran back into the barn when they heard Rich fill the feed bins.

Once in the barn they all took a quick nibble of sweet feed and then one-by-one ran back out into the pasture. Brutus and Asterius were leaping and twisting and romping around so joyfully that we just had to laugh!

Even Mango, who is a mature, pregnant young lady now, had to gleefully kick up her heels a bit, too.

They rolled in the snow:

And climbed on it:

When my hands started turning blue and I could no longer feel the buttons on the camera to snap any more pictures I had to give up and go inside and leave them to their playing. After dinner, when Rich went out at sundown, they were still enjoying their freedom. I peeked out a few minutes ago and could see their shadows in the dark still moving about the pasture. These amazing animals are native to the high plains of Peru and their thick, crimpy fleece insulates them against cold winter temperatures. More than likely they will all sleep outside tonight and Rich will find them with a layer of frost on their backs in the morning.

Brutus, Blizzard Winds, A Candle Light Dinner And A Red Sweater

Ten degrees outside with 40-45  mile an hour wind gusts and snow on the way. Yup! Looks like a homemade pizza night instead of our usual Friday night date night. Pizza by candle light will make it a bit more romantic I guess.

I had the vet come out late this afternoon to check out Brutus's "goopy" eye. We have been treating for infection for the past month and the eye seems to clear up then returns a week later. Dr. Brothers was on call today and I was grateful that he came out in this awful, frigid, windy weather. He examined Brutus's eye carefully and checked him out all over. His final diagnosis was that Brutus is generally healthy but could have one of two things going on with the eye. It could be an ingrown eyelash that is nearly impossible to see with our naked eye because Brutus is brown, his lashes are black and the rims of his eyes are black. There doesn't seem to be any small lumps there. Another possibility could be an underdeveloped sinus cavity that prevents the nose from draining properly and forces the gunk up and out of his eye. Either way, we just need to watch it carefully for signs of infection. Eventually he may just outgrow it.

I was glad to hear this because I really had no great desire to go out into this uber polar weather twice a day to treat Brutus's eye with any more medicines. It is so much easier just feed the animals and visually check out the eye. Brutus doesn't seem concerned with it and it surely hasn't affected his appetite or energy levels.

I don't have any new alpaca pictures today. The barn is a bit too dark for good pictures. So Callie gets to take center stage in tonight's blog. She would like that if she were aware, since she is more than a bit jealous when we pay more attention to the alpacas than to her. I knitted a doggie sweater for Callie last year. A really big doggie sweater that she didn't get to wear much because it was so mild last winter. This year it has gotten some mileage. We have put it on her so often that when I pick it up she comes running  because she knows we are going outside. I must say she does look pretty in her red, cabled sweater. The contrast between her black fur, the red sweater and the snow outside makes for a striking picture. She's a pretty girl and she knows it.

The amaryllis that my mother-in-law gave me for Christmas is in full bloom today. The brilliant, orangey-red triple flower looks very cheerful in the living room. It holds a promise of spring even if the weather outside says otherwise.