Forcing myself...

to post is not how it should be but here I am.

I am struggling with sheep fencing issues at the new place.

In all my many decades of owning flocks I have never had so many escapes as I have had the last 2 weeks.

Frustrating considering I had eye surgery on Aug 4th.

I am under restrictions to do no heavy lifting on strenuous activities.

No major sweating to keep it out of my healing eye is an issue.

These buggers do not seem to care.

I can not put up my permanent fences as the survey to divide the property is not finalized so no stakes to indicate borders as I am renting till the division is complete.

Ughhhhh

I can't wait to get back to hard labor as weird as that sounds.

It calms me and settles the brain. 

This was a few days ago on my way to work.

Fall is coming the fog says.

Miss A in Montana on vacation.

She seems so sad or in deep thought I imagine.

She ziplined and hiked and had a great time on her first plane rides.

A rare sighting of my boy, Z's smile.

R smiles alot.

Yellowstone geysers were impressive Z said.

Prove this punkin smiles most of the time.

His teeth have still not arrived so that makes him grumpy once in awhile.

Hopefully I'll post more when I get to work on fencing and other property improvements.

Hello ?

I am still here, can anyone hear me??

It's been busy. crazy, tumultuous times.

Grandkids are growing like weeds.

Even though I only moved 15 min away I miss seeing them daily.

Miss A did a thing...

Her Aunt LN & R were there and she was happy seeing them.

It was blistering hot but we all showed up for Kindergarten graduation.

Onward and upward to first grade she moves.

Mr R is getting so big. 

He doe NOT like being on his stomach so I am not sure how crawling will happen.

He's 8 months old now.

The teething has been brutal for months with no tooth brave enough to pop through his swollen gums.

This chick came home to roost for the first week of June but only 5 days.

She liked my new digs and you can sorta see piles behind us of things waiting for placement.

LN is moving in mid August to Univ. of Wisconsin at Madison.

She will be in their graduate program for Environmental Sciences with a concentration in Botany.

While she has been in Oregon she has been working at a large nursery and is enjoying it.

I miss her but she has to fly.

Early August I go for my eye operation and I am not thrilled.

It's not a good time but when would be?

I have to attend our state fair to keep our exhibitor spot for the grandkids.

The sheep are not broke and so many other issues.

Ram pen needs built pronto as I get him back from Mass. within a week or so. 

He has been vacationing for a year with friends.

Time to get busy.

Good enough for now...

  

How and Why????

Every wall in the main open concept area and mistress ;) suite is like this.

How do you not see and smell this?

Why do you think a relative wants to move into this?

I'm scrubbing with alot of help from good friends.

Fabulosa is my friend.

The floors are left. 

Engineered hardwood, hand scrapped dark wood with buildup of hair and saliva I believe.

How do you bring them back?

Maybe by this weekend I'll be able to fully move in and sleep there.

Juggling many balls right now and I am exhausted but it should be worth it.

Working a few hours every night while still helping son with kids while R works late.

I am ditching the washer and dryer which is costly.

I can not get the animal hair out of either.

They are 10 yrs old also which is life expectancy anymore as well.

Surface rust inside dryer and washer lid shows their age.

Any thoughts on floors?

 

News

It's not much but news after all.

I am moving onto a 4+ acre property I am eventually purchasing.

A lot of hard work cometh and I am so ready. 

Cleaning , fencing, purging, weeding, etc.

Otherwise in health news I am partially blind in my right eye.

It happened over 6 month period .

It is a Macular Wrinkle obstructing my vision.

Surgery was scheduled pending pre-op which included checkup and EKG.

Which I failed the EKG with an abnormal reading.

Tests ensued with Cardiologist  (Echocardiogram, stress, bloodwork).

Which I pass with flying colors. 

I had a wake up call though to watch my diet and lower my stress.

Diabetes and heart disease are heavy in my family.

I am a work in progress.

I dumped my occasional favorite beverage, Coke ;/

Now after 3 weeks it tastes bad, go figure.

I did lower my BP to 124/74 quickly by diet change.

My bloodwork is mostly normal with Cholesterol and Glucose creeping just past safe ranges.

Salads which I love are my staple lunch.

Don't think boring lettuce though.

I call mine "garbage" dump salads as I add so much.

No dressing as I broke that habit years ago.

Egg, chicken or tuna, dark or red lettuces, carrots, tomatoes, cheese, avacodo, etc.

See it's a lot.

Overall it needed to happen as I am anti-medication if I can affect the change otherwise.

The stress will be harder to stop but moving into my own space will help but also cause a different kind of stress I imagine.

The surgery is rescheduled to mid June.

Grandkids are growing like weeds.

6 months and 6 yrs old now.

Teething game is strong for Mr R.

Miss A is graduating kindergarten shortly.

I will miss seeing them daily.

I will still go over early and take them to daycare and over to their aunts' 

for the bus on the days their Mama works.

I imagine I will help my son in the evenings as needed. 

My new digs are about 15 min away so not bad commute.

Wow Wheeee

Changes .....

New job as an Office Manager.

Many new skills as said manager to learn.

Lambs on the ground for 2022. 

Came home from work to this scene.

Divided up and put in jugs easy enough.

The next morning another set joined them and another the next day after work.

Fast and furious...

Last one came a week later.

5 ewes, 9 lambs, (1 didn't survive), 7 rams, 1 ewe

2022 complete!

This guy is growing like a weed too.

I love baby chunk, lets you know they are healthy.

This hot mess is growing up fast as well.

She quietly colored and crafted while I worked from home back in December one day.

I took her to a friends where I stored some lambing supplies.

She made friends with Stevie the goat.

Life is moving on and I am still looking for a home.

Maybe this year I will have success.

A few finishes...

 

I finished these shorties before Christmas.

They have been on my needles for quite awhile.

No excuses, I just didn't feel like knitting vanilla socks.

I am happy to wear them though.

I did start the "Candy Cane" socks on Dec 1st and finished them before Christmas.

It was a fun project with lots of frogging and "mistakes".

They are for myself so I can live with imperfections.

I'll re-knit this pattern again after learning from it. 

These are worsted weight 100% wool "Waffle" pattern socks.

I started them last winter and stalled out over summer.

No excuse except wool ya know. 

I ran out of dark green but do not mind the mismatch of it all and now have a warm pair of socks to wear with my boots in the 14" of snow we received this week.

More coming tonight but only 4-6" I believe.

I cast on 2 more sets of socks so I always have something to keep my hands busy.

I am not a fast knitter but that's ok too.

No race that I know of.

In other events  I am waiting on lambs in February and starting another job in mid January as an Office Manager for the State Fire Marshall.

A little daunting but this past year has been nothing but changes so here I go.

Miss A continues to be Grandmas pal while I worked from home because of Covid Positive case.

No worries I had no symptoms at all so suspect it was false positive.

Mr R is growing by the second.

He is 2 months old and acting like a 4 mon old the Pediatrician says.

Happy 2022!

Long time but good surprise!

 Long time since I wrote an entry.

This happened the beginning of November.

 

Grandchild #2, a grandson with my son Z.

Mr R arrived safe and sound.

Mom is good as well.

Our own little acorn deserved an appropriate hat knit by Grandma. 

Miss A was not impressed at first but is diffidently coming around.

Now she loves to hold him.

On the other fronts not much change.

I'm still without a home of my own.

The market is sky high with not much inventory.

I'm trying to stay upbeat but it's a struggle.

I know it was the right decision to leave however I didn't anticipate the angst and problems adjusting to a temporary existence.

No consistency or continuity is rough at home and work.

On the job front it's a struggle as well.

I am working under a grant that expires in June 2022.

Now I have to locate another job as well because the plan to transition has fallen through.

All these places advertising and saying they need workers are not telling the whole story either.

I have people I know applying to every lower entry job with no results. 

These are workers with 20 yrs in the job market laid off because of Covid.

I am trying to remain inside the state job market to preserve the benefits and 

time served so fingers crossed.

I'm trying to knit and read and relax my mind but that is not easy for my personality.

Maybe I'll disappear during the holidays for my sanity.

Sheep news:

All are bred in Massachusetts and will be picked up this weekend.

Then the barn shuffle to try to fit a "10# bag in a 5# spot".

I don't know how this is going to work out but it will some way .

Hopefully no disasters during the process.

I need a break.

Saddened

I am saddened by the hatred coming off people right now.

Vaccination is a choice and noone should be spewing their hatred for others' choices either way 

yet here we are. 

What happened to trying to see others' viewpoints?

It is embarassing how people are acting.

In my current "job" I have to ask the question if someone is vaccinated.

I do not care what their answer is, I just record it.

People are whispering their answers or refusing to answer because they are 

expecting me to judge their answer.

I have never been more ashamed of Americans as I am right now. 

I stayed off Blogger for quite a while because of it.

The constant barrage of angry and hatred is overwhelming.

Please try to temper yourself and consider other people.

Just maybe there are 3 sides as in other areas of our lives.

Yours...

Mine...

& the truth...

Been awhile...

since I posted.

I really don't have much to say now either.

I'm in limbo waiting...

... on house prices to level off so I can find a home.

... on my job to stabilize.

... on  the unmentionable sickness in America to right itself.

... on life to level off.

... on COMMON SENSE to come back into existence.

Dog Days

Dog Days have begun in earnest here in Coastal Delaware.

Humidity plus 90+ temps equals misery.

It does been my son's family garden is producing finally.

First 3 Cherry Tomatoes were good.

I picked them after another day went by to further ripen them.

Soon we will be awash in those lil buggers.

Work lunches are as cold as I can make them to refresh my energy levels.

Big changes coming to my work place as Covid restrictions are to be ending next Wednesday.

New jobs for my department but no idea yet what or where we each will be assigned.

The unknown is scary but I am grateful to be employed.

There is no excuse for any willing person to not have a job at this time.

Enough said!

Look at this cutie.

Miss A's Uncle B went to San Antonio for some military training.

This was her gift.

So tiny an cute, reminiscent of the full size ones we had "back in the day".

Orange and "cutie" for size comparison.

No picture but in November Miss A is going to be a big sister.

She has a baby brother baking at the moment.

Short and Sweet but at least I posted!