Wet and Cold....

It's wet and cold , that must mean?

Chick time of course!

Everytime we order chicks and the post office calls at o'dark thirty it is cold and wet.

 

We ordered 25 rhode island reds, 25 barred rocks and 5 white leghorns.

The leghorns are sold along with 5 barred rocks.

The rest will get sold gradually as customers come in and see them.

 

A sure sign of spring, don't cha thunk ???

It's weaning time which was overdue for the lambs.

I separated them last Saturday.

It's been a loud week.

Coming up on time to choose who stays and who goes.

Someone has asked about buying 2 for younger 4-H'ers to learn to show.

LN needs to choose hers 1st and then depending on what she chooses Mama gets a pick at possible ewes to add to our tiny flock of breeders.

 

This weekend is Maryland Sheep and Wool and I'm going.

 

 

So excited, I hope the weather is dry at least.

I'm thinking of wooly things.



1979

A little potato chip scarf knitting and Mountain Family watching (made in 1979). 

Who needs to go out on a Saturday night?

 

Oh Joy

I finally gave in and mowed. Winter is officially over. Grrrrr

We saw this at the beach bookstore yesterday. LN & I went to the outlets to buy more clothes as she s growing again. My own personal Amazon!

Choices

My girls , R-25 and LN-14 are upstairs giggling in LN's room. There is a lot to get done before school starts again next week. I'm choosing to let it go and let them be together giggling for awhile longer. 

It's the simple things.

We went to get pedicures together earlier and get LN show jeans at the western wear store. Dang it every time I turn around she's getting taller and womanier!

Mail ...

Who doesn't like surprise mail ? 

Kelly from Happy Hollow Homestead sent LN some buttons to possibly use on her outfits she sews. Her favorites are the red pair. She s planning a red dress next year so it might work put.

Thank you, Kelly, the nice note and buttons brightened my day !

Know this...

Superiority complex people drive me nuts.

You are not perfect so shut up!

Is that plain enough?

I can not stand wanna-be know-it-alls.

Really who died and made you think your crap doesn't stink?

Can ya tell I'm annoyed?

My patience meter is on overload.

I know some really smart people and even they do not believe they know it all.

My day is coming, I know that much.

Watch out world!

27 from 75 =

It was 75* a few days ago.

It was 27* this morning and windy.

We have a lot of ice on our docks.

Docks we need to use.

 

I still love winter.

I have to laugh at how mad people are that it snowed and iced overnight.

It's April!

Funny stuff, God.

Keep everyone on their toes.

 

 

Daffodils do not seem to mind the cold.

 

I leave you with my 14 yr. olds sonnet for English class.

I am amazed at her depth. 

Click on pic to enlarge.

It's worth it.

 



The nerve

Apparently the birds are trying to tell me something! 

Spring is here. It was almost 80* yesterday. Not cool and I mean that figuratively and literally. The fields are being sprayed off and plowed under. This is near me after spraying the field on right. I think it's pretty when it turns orangey yellow. I'm wierd. 

S finally cut a tree off my arena fence yesterday. It's been there 3 yrs. I threatened him with having my 15 yr old neighbor do it. He said he hadn't because I never specifically said " let's go cut and haul that tree away and fix the fence for the animals". Well ok then if I have to treat you like a child I can but seriously get some gumption man. I've asked him to do it multiple times but apparently he was waiting on me to accompany him . He doesn't help with 99.9% of what I do but I am independent and he's NOT. Yes I'm venting about my lazy husband. I need .... I ll just stop there . But I'm thinking it. I am.

 

 

Done Good

It's over and done for 2014 4-H Fashion Revue.



Laugh

I don't laugh enough.

I need to change that.

 

I put all the screen doors back to rights and opened the house to air winter out.

It's over 70*.

I don't want to skip spring.

Please bring me a nice spring.

Please????

 

Off to 4th soccer game of the week with flip flops on.

That required some feet treatment like nail polish and a trim of nails.

I need to get a sleeveless top out but bring a hoodie for later maybe.

 

Tomorrow is 4-H Fashion Revue.

She'll do great but it's always a nail biter.

 

 



Any Doubt

If people think it's cruel to dock lambs tails  just look at what happens if you don't.

This lamb is 8 wks old and his butt is coated with manure under his tail. Sheep don't pick up their tails to go so it builds up and causes nasty stuff to grow.

He has been banded and it's almost through so won't be long till he cleans it up as air and gravity take over.

Doesn't stop him from climbing in the ewes feed trough and pigging out .

I ll be glad to wean and sell off lambs this year. They are chowder hounds for sure. 

Ewes be glad to get their youthful feminine figures back as well.

Another Spring

Spring is diffidently here.

Sorry MamaPea because I know you are still in the throes of winter.

Here in big ole DE it's warm in the daytime and cooler at night.

I went to LN's soccer game at 5 yesterday in a long sleeve t-shirt and was too hot.

By 7 pm went we went to varsity game I'd pulled on a hoodie and carhartt vest.

It's spring for sure.

Today we unloaded 40 bales of hay we sourced locally after dropping more to 2 customers.

It's getting dicey for our customers.

I'm good personally because I keep buying and replenishing through winter for our gang.

Always prepared?

No just afraid to run out.

It's been a crazy week so far and rest more of same.

Tonight at after she gets done with school soccer practice there are 3 choices for LN to make, a FFA banquet where she receives a degree,

a practice for her travel team, a multi counseling training for 4-H.

Every evening is like this it seems.

Somewhere in there she needs fed and her animals need fed.

This week we've been turning out animals after 9pm but at least there are getting fed.

I'm happy that her school work is on point through all this.

Her report shows all grades 93% and up to 99%.

Smarter than her Mama for sure.

Double

Let's hope it's a double yoker kinda day!

Bees

The bees are back baby!

The holes have begun to open in my cow pen where bumblebees over winter.

Must be spring they say.

I saw it's cold today but getting there.

It's 7:00pm and I'm headed to bed.

It's been a long week with something every night like soccer or 4-h.

Next 2 weeks look worse.

The dress and coat have been gone over for any last minute issues and been pressed.

I delivered her many paged entry form and garments.

Now it's up to the judges for construction   judging this week.

Next Saturday is fashion/modeling part and interview part. 

Tomorrow is clean every pen day and wash and blow out steer day before soccer practice.

Sunday is start fitting steer by clipping head and maybe some of body just to see what's what.

Next week there are 3 school soccer games and I don't know what else.

I'm going to bed.....

Buttons, buttons

The clandestine meeting took place in broad daylight in a pharmacy parking lot beside a main highway.

I met a woman driving a grey Forester.

She showed me the goods.

I chose my poison.

Paid in cash.

Hightailed it out of there.

Got it figured out yet?

I joined a local Facebook page that is an online type yard sale.

I'm always on the lookout for buttons we can use on garments and crafts.

Stores are unreliable on quantity and boring in selection the majority of the time I have found.

Buttons are expensive.

This lady brought me a few as samples but says she has a roomful to sort through.

She bought them to make jewelry and use to embellish crafts.

She sold me these for $10.00.

Not horrible considering most buttons cost $3.00 or more per card and if individual a lot more per piece.

These are cool ...

I think these are nice too.

She going to sort me some more large ones suitable for coat buttons.

I explained the type of clothing we make.

We struggle to find appropriate buttons each year for LN's outfits.

Maybe this contact will ease the struggle a bit.

Winding down and starting up....

 After a whole lotta hours and little details and alterations

LN is almost done with her outfit.

It's winding down to small things left to do, ie: pressing and small hem job, etc.

Without pressing just so we could see it all together with shoes and jewelry here is the dress.

The coat back with LN's favorite part, the bow which was a happy accident.

The tab was made like on traditional coats and A's Mom (coolest Mom ever in my mind)

stopped by A's house to see how it was going.

She is a seamstress as well.

She was playing with the tab and scrunched it.

Her and LN both said, "Let's do that".

Pleat needs a good pressing as does whole coat, I know.

Front of coat, bad lighting but an idea nevertheless.

Soccer is starting up heavy.

Thought this was cool when she had just took header and feet came off the ground.

Her face is priceless here kinda....

"Watch where you are putting that hand girl!"

And just regular LN at "work".

Another day at the office.