16 Mar 2010
Shearing Started

Well, I normally like to wait until April to start shearing, but the weather's been so warm, and is predicted to stay that way, that we've made an exception this year. Chunky Buns went first as she's one of those whose fleece is already sold. If the weather holds out, we might be done shearing by April. Which, I must admit, would be kinda nice.

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13 Mar 2010
Wait! Daylight Saving Time will cost me money?

Backwards Clock

Hey, Mitch! I want my $10 back (for three years of this idiocy). Somehow, the state doesn't seem to be giving out rebates for this... wonder why? Of all the moronic things our current governor has done, and he's got a whopper of a list going, daylight savings time has to be the one that galls me the most. This seemingly trivial thing has huge implications well beyond energy waste. Look up accident statistics for the week after "springing forward" to see exactly what I'm talking about.

The move to Daylight Saving actually used 1 percent more electricity than if people stuck to Standard Time, according to a 2008 study of residents in Indiana. In other areas of the United States, the time change could cost people even more.

(link) [Christian Science Monitor]

Update:I forget to mention heart attacks...
via Masson's Blog

17:26 /Home | 2 comments | permanent link

08 Mar 2010
Yesterday
  • Mucked out part of barn stalls to get doors operating.
  • Sorted sheep - got breeding flock into back paddock.
  • Moved fleece flock to front pasture.
  • Moved goats to sheep stalls for cleanout
  • Washed eggs
  • Fixed heater on back porch.
  • Rigged brooder box, built heat lamp stand
  • Cleaned out back porch
  • Bagged trash from porch and garage
  • Did laundry
  • Purchased 6 pullet chicks
  • Purchased regular critter feed
  • Went grocery shopping for mom
  • Went grocery shopping for us
  • Set up back porch brooder
  • Unloaded feed
  • Fixed dinner
  • Moved fleece flock back to barn
  • Fed sheep, goats, chickens - gathered eggs
  • Ate dinner
  • Went to bed

That's what we did yesterday between the two of us. No wonder I was too tired to blog.

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07 Mar 2010
Too Tired to Blog Tonight

sometimes a title says it all...

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06 Mar 2010
Meeting Day

Today was the annual meeting of SWIFT - Spinners and Weavers of Indiana Fibers and Textiles. Lorraine, of course, had to be there. It's essentially a large "spin in", with more wool and spinnings wheels than you can imagine.

She had a blast, and since it was held at Connor Prairie, I got to visit a bit with my good friend Kevyn. He's got a fine yearling Horned Dorset ram that I'd like to stand to my Blackie girls later this year - we just might get something worked out.

I also got a chance to putz about in the city for a bit, a rarity for me, and went window shopping at a couple of electronics stores and browsed a used book emporium. The only purchase I made was at the book store: The Definitive Guide to Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials, which shows exactly how far sucked in I've gotten...

All in all, a very pleasant, very spring like day. It's about time.

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01 Mar 2010
Rumors of Spring

The temperature climbed above 40°F today for the first time this year. It's supposed to hit 57°F Sunday - I'll believe it when I feel it. We still have about 30 inches of snow (down from over 48) drifting the driveway shut, but we can no longer drive through the yard as it's become a mud pit. So we're parking by the outer gate - not a bad walk, really, but it sure will be good to get my driveway back.

I haven't seen the record books, but would be willing to bet that this was the snowiest winter in at least two decades, and probably back to the blizzard years of '78 and '79.

Maybe the winter really is ending, after all, and spring is on the horizon. Or perhaps that's just wishful thinking on my part.

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26 Feb 2010
Sucked In

Years ago, it was pretty easy for me to get sucked into a book. That's becoming increasingly rare, perhaps due to a lack of good books, but more likely due to simple laziness on my part. However, this week was different - we happened to catch a movie that we'd both heard about, but had both pretty much ignored, assuming it was a play to cash in on the popularity of the Harry Potter and Narnia movies, none of which particularly excited us. The Golden Compass kept our undivided attention for all 113 minutes - I was absolutely intrigued, so much so that I went out and got the books - His Dark Materials and a DVD of the movie at a used bookstore a couple of days after we watched it. That was last weekend, and explains my lack of blogging for the week - about a thousand pages.

We liked the movie a lot - the books are even better. There's so much more you can do in the way of back (and side) stories in a book than in a movie. And what a story! Phillip Pullman is a master storyteller, and an excellent writer. If you're like us, and either never heard of these tales or blew them off as child's play, think again. I cannot recommend this series highly enough.

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19 Feb 2010
Short Term Bottle Baby

If you recall our recent Snow Day Surprise, you'll no doubt recall my quip that if there'd been a twin ram lamb he would've been called Clyde... well ...

Tim called up a week ago Wednesday, when I was so sick, and asked if we'd like a bottle baby. A ewe of his, a North Country Cheviot, who had been bred to a Blue Face Leicester, had dried up just after throwing twins. The ewe lamb was already gone, but the little ram lamb was hangin' on by the skin of his teeth. Tim's just got too many irons in the fire right now to deal with a bottle baby, and he figured if anybody could get the little fellow healthy we could. So Lorraine said sure.

And of course we called him Clyde.

He really does look like Bonnie's twin, eh? And is he ever active - it didn't take us long to get him back to peak condition. But we've got a lot of irons in the fire right now, too, and despite the fact that he'll have a beautiful fleece, it's just not the kind of fleece we want to concentrate on in our breeding program. So we found Clyde a new home, with Amber Meadow Farm in Shelby County (website not available), and Roxa came and got him today. He'll pretty much complete her spinners flock, and she was just delighted with him. Of course she brought some friends along for the ride, and before they'd left we'd taken orders for five fleeces! So it all worked out in the end for everybody. Especially Clyde. Who will no doubt be renamed. I hope.

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13 Feb 2010
Recovery

Well, I don't think I'll have to go to the hospital. The antibiotic seems to be working, I've not had a serious rise in temperature for twenty four hours now, and am feeling better. Still feel like I got run over by a truck, and am certainly not out romping in the snow by any means, but I am feeling better. That's a Good Thing™

The downside is that Lorraine and I are missing the Feast of Vali today with our kinsfolk of Ravenswood. This is the Founding Day of the Kindred, and the blot at which the next years calendar is set. But I sure don't want to pass whatever it really was that deviled me last week around my kinsfolk! Especially if it was a form of pneumonia.

Since we can't be there in person, here's a toast from afar to our kinsfolk: the motto of the Kindred of Ravenswood, the toast with which every sumbel is closed:

To Vali! To Vengence! To Honor! To Kin!

May the Blessings of the Shining Gods and Goddesses of Our Folk continue to shine upon our endeavors! Hail Ravenswood!

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12 Feb 2010
Still Alive...

mostly. I think. Not really strong enough to sit at the desk, but I can type on the laptop, and writing is somewhat cathartic. So write I will...

Yesterday was the worst day yet. Lorraine finally corralled me and got me to the doc - his diagnosis was "almost pneumonia". The treatment is Levaquin and codeine laced cough syrup for two days. If I'm not better by tomorrow it's hospital time, I guess. Not good.

It's really, really cold this morning - and Lorraine's been having a heckva time carrying water to the barn. I never finished the tale of the pitcher pump, but to make a long story short, it thawed out enough for me to dig the old faucet out and get a new one set (with much hassle, mind you) without having to resort to trying to set a new well head in the barn lot. I had a tremendous amount of difficulty getting a new faucet that actually worked - bought two that were broken off the shelf, and finally had to hire help to get it all hooked up. But I thought I had it fixed. I was wrong. I don't think it drained properly, and consequently it froze up. Last Sunday. The same day I started getting sick. Go figure.

There's more going on, too. Lorraine's mom had a minor stroke three weeks ago, and is in rehab - she's doing OK, but it's still a concern. My mom went to the hospital last Sunday evening (when my fever was first starting to peak) and had to have a heart cath - she's home now and doing OK, but her bleeding is proving hard to control, so that's a concern. And out oldest grandson, Damien, up in Minnesota, is very sick, too. Hilary and her ex have had him to a couple of doctors so far with no satisfactory results.

Add this in to all the snow, and it's been the worst winter for years. Time for another cup of tea.

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10 Feb 2010
Still Ill

I haven't been this sick since I was a kid. But at least we can get out of the driveway - Larry came by and plowed a path through the yard. The driveway itself (by the tree and the propane tank) is under about a six or eight foot drift. I've never seen anything like it here, Larry said he'd never seen anything like it here either.

Apparently this stuff is going around - Lorraine's brother Bruce has a touch of it and my buddy Tim has had it, too. The strange thing is that it comes and goes - I felt awful Monday, sorta OK Tuesday, and miserable today.

Hopefully I'll be feeling good enough tomorrow to get into to work for some design meetings - I think they might be getting a little miffed at me for missing two days this week, but hey - when you're sick, you're sick. And when I'm sick, I'm paranoid...

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09 Feb 2010
Seven Years of Blogging

Seven years ago tonight I started this blog - on a different platform, with a different name and a different format. In fact, lots is different - very different. But the blog remains the same - my first post is still up.

Speaking of platforms, my webhost provider managed to crash my sites on Monday, and in the process lose Sunday evening's and Monday afternoon's postings. I've recreated them as best I can, but I'm not sure everything is going to be normal, as the provider is still (!) apparently restoring files. So if you see a duplicate or two, I'll catch up.

22:14 /Home | 0 comments | permanent link

08 Feb 2010
Sicker than a dog...

and more snow on the way - first sick day I've had in quite a while. The only real symptom is fever - but what a fever! A real roller coaster - freezing and thawing. Just like the weather ...

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06 Feb 2010
As Promised

Pictures of the newest member of our flock. Note the hand crocheted sweater - this breed doesn't have much wool at birth, and with the temperature on the way down to the single digits, Lorraine thought a bit of extra wool wouldn't be a bad idea. Baby doesn't seem to mind at all, and neither does Momma.


21:19 /Home | 1 comment | permanent link

05 Feb 2010
Snow Day Surprise

Well, it's about 9pm and we have about six inches on the ground. Heavy, wet, thick. At least it won't blow (much). But the snow was expected.

What was not anticipated was having a new lamb on the ground! Scarface had a single, a ewe, early this morning. We'd bought her off of Tim after her accident, and she's become quite the pet. Tim must've had her bred before she got here last September, and was unaware the ram had found her.

She'd already had her by the time I got out there about 8:30, but she was just starting to clean her up. So I guess she was probably born about 8. Tried to get a picture, but it was pretty dark in the barn and the batteries or something was funky on the camcorder, so those'll have to wait.

Lorraine wanted to name her, so we settled on "Bonnie". Lorraine's thinking of the Scots phrase for "pretty", but I'm sticking to the gangster motif - if she'd have had a twin ram lamb, I would've named him "Clyde"...

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