It's Back !

Not winter but almost. Lower temperatures with rain showers is a nice change from the a little "too exuberant" days of spring. That would be in the high 70's to 80.  What is it about that? Come September we will be wishing for those temperatures that in those infant days of spring felt like 170 degrees . Always the way isn't it what we are accustomed to is a good part of our response when we find our selves in a new situation?

I won't complain that we have also welcomed back fires at night and a cuppa of that lovely raw Jersey milk with a spoonful of honey mixed in. Certainly makes for a deep sleep and peaceful dreams. However too much makes jeans tight. Perhaps it is a good thing it is time to come out of hibernation.

Love Is In The Air is the newest addition to my growing rose garden. The flowers themselves are almost crepe paper in looks. I am anxious to see what I will have when this sweet bush grows to maturity.

Speaking of roses. These beauties are from my second yellow rose bush that came March of 2013. It has been in several of my blog photos. These two huge blossoms had very short stems so I "floated" them in a favorite mug.

The Blueberries greening out and have some berries just beginning. I am afraid that this year will not be as much of a bumper crop as I had last year. In fact if something doesn't change soon I will need to supplement my blueberry use at Farmers Market.

My passion of the 2018 Spring season. I have always loved to have fancy hummingbird feeders. This one is new to me and I am getting one more after this. The more ornate are a bit more pricey than the cute red and yellow type . So with the addition of this cutie and another after this my total will be three with my original.
Hopeful to get photos of the happy hummers!

 




The umbrella to go with the 16 year old patio set is another new addition. When it was first purchased in Fresno it didn't need the umbrella as the patio had a roof over it. But not so much here. Only took me two years to find the one I liked and fit into the budget. Did I hear someone say procrastinator?








Below is an art batt of blue alpaca blended with some mulberry silk in yellow, green and blue. It is my first art batt and had fun picking and blending colors. I then ran them through my large drum carder to blend them. I am content with them and have some other additions coming to do some more batts with them.

Look closely at this woman . Especially her left hand and the contents there of. Kathleen gave a great talk at the Thursday fiber night at the alpaca farm. The topic was combing wool and fine fibers , such as alpaca. And also how to use combs with a hackle. The talk was amazing and she is such a super speaker. Inspired me to get a second pair of combs for fine fiber. And again click on the photo and check out those combs. You really don't want to mess with someone holding those combs. Perhaps we could have also subtitled the presentation "Self defense with mid evil fiber preparation tools". 

The Whole World's Going To Pot or I Don't Think This Is What Willie and Merle Had In Mind

It has been a crazy week and isn't slowing down until at least Saturday . So with that said  let's take a look at the Pot greenery at the farm.

  Basil, cilantro,heritage cherry tomatoes, patty pan squash, peppermint, sage and sugar snap peas.

Lettuce, kale, strawberries, yum.

 English Thyme & Parsley

Peach on left Meyer Lemon on right

Yes the whole farm has gone to pots. More to come but now it is good night, audios , see you later alligator or in a while crocodile .

The Road Home Past The Neighbors Ranch

The Ranch across the street is on both Ash Creek and Wildcat Roads. This is looking down Wildcat from the Butte above us . I took a "lookie lou " tour coming home from the veterinary in Shingletown that is about 3200 feet about 15 minutes from our place. Love my vet! Enjoy the photos.

                                     Cowboy country graffiti.







                                                                           

Mama Angus with calf

                                                                                                   

                                                                         

                                     
                                                   



                                    







                                                                                                                                                                           

                                                                           Happy Trails!

Rain At 11:00 AM Opps Make that 1:30 PM

Winter is back for at least 48 hours. I have again that feeling we have a repeat of the perhaps new normal we saw last year. Shifting of seasons. Last year it was every season two months off. Winter didn't really get started until January/February. Spring shared the stage from about late March until mid June with winter. It was raining on June 8th the day my second Grandgirl graduated from highschool in the central valley . Good grief! Then it became incredibly suddenly blue blazes hot about the second full week in June and summer took over. Lastly fall sashayed at a slow pace and lasted pretty much through December.

So now we have or will have one half inch of rain today, showers tomorrow . The area the Shedd is located in up the mountain is supposed to get snow. Well this is alright by me but crazy no?


Mr. Paul Newman found this rainy day a good time to take a stroll around the barn under cover. He is my second roo in the farms current location.








 And much like his predecessor Mr. Robert Redford below he is quite the looker.

As some of you may have noted I have been borrowing photos this week from Farm Girl Romance an off shoot of Mary Jane Butters magazine Mary Jane's Farm. It is a fun publication and shares some great recommendations for crafty things but has a serious side also. It isn't a homesteading publication but more of a coffee table publication. Some nice recipes offered also. Check out the online blog and daily photos.

Only 4 Weeks Plus 2 Days Until Mothers Day

Here's to all the cute calves bouncing around this time of year and their attentive mama cows!

Just A Jersey Wednesday

Honest Spring Is Here and I Have a Bridge I Can Sell You

Well here I sit all ready to post my photo's I took this afternoon and apparently forgot to upload . Sigh
 .
But I will tomorrow. At least I hope I will as I sit here and listen to the wind and pounding rain. Yes Susan I am not in Kansas anymore. Apparently I am not in the balmy, cool breeze blown 73 degree time warp weather in Nor Cal anymore either.

Having gotten almost three inches of rain since dark o'clock this morning and "THEY" are calling for as much as 2-3 inches more tonight at midnight. Good grief Grace how can that be? The same people who had the audacity to give me an 80% chance of snow three storms in a row only a month ago and then whip it away. Wrong three times and now, now you all get it right? REALLY!!!?

We have a swimming pool in the back of the house yard. The chickens are currently playing hopscotch over lakes in their coop and the goats who share the big barn by the chickens are climbing to high ground and praying. So am I.

Fast forward to Saturday morning. Well how bad was it? Somewhere between 6-7 + inches in 24 hours. Does that count for something? The middle barn that houses Little Trouble, Willa, Waylon and Willie got bombed. Swimming pools (yes the coop had two) for the chickens and my dears in the goat side had no more than 10 square feet of dry straw to retreat to for the night.

The problem was put under damage control with newly purchased bales of straw and my trusty sack of zeolite to help absorb the liquid sunshine. The weather calls (fool me once shame on you) for intermittent showers and possible thunder showers today. Then we are good until Wednesday when more is due. Note to self never complain about lack of rain without sending up specifics.

This is the sister photo to the one above. The first photo is looking north east and gives you good reference as to how close that resort area near the banks came to being inundated. This one looks to the south west. Both taken this morning while running errands and buying straw. Sacramento River for reference.

Two photos for my knitting friend in NY Susan , Leigh and Mama Pea. The first is that almost forgotten photo that should have been in the last post of my newly painted toes at the wheel. But wait check out the alpaca I was spinning . Drafts like a dream into lace - fingerling .

                                 

      

 Please ignore well used patio chair above the wheel. It belongs to the cats really it does ;-)
And while I am at it that 2  should have been 3. The hat photo below comes in both adult and child sizes. It was featured in the knitty newsletter for winter. Fish Hat [Dead or Alive] . I think it would be a great addition to one's wardrobe at any age.   http://knitty.com/ISSUEwinter08/PATTfishy.php

And best for last tada! The greenhouse which is still looking like it is owned by a slumlord as I have concentrated on the art of greenhouse house growing not getting her all gussied up in a new dress. That will come this summer when it is too hot to grow in there.

Need to snap some photos for my heritage cherry tomatoes for you. As well as the basil, peppermint, sage, kale, snap peas and so on. I brought these three radishes in they are Easter Egg and I was hoping they were a bit larger but we will see how the flavor is tonight. Not too spicy I trust.



 

I Spin Therefore I Am

Yes I do and yes this is Tuesday but I really was going to do a post today but there were extenuating  circumstances , er, excuses. I worked in the green house, cleaned more of the log house, talked on the phone to my sister, fed the roses and fruit trees and I spun.

My youngest sister spent some time on our 42 Acres of Paradise last week. And I am here to tell you having multiple days of fun was exhausting. And then the day after she left I spent the better part of the day demoing spinning at a local alpaca ranch. That added to the exhaustion as we spinners in the circle visited among ourselves and with the public on hand to watch the annual shearing of the alpacas. Public relations is not for the weak of heart.

Then I realized it was the start of a new month and that meant first of the month  errands and appointments. I am flying by the seat of my Wranglers and the break of engaging in spinning, I swear to you is cheaper then therapy. Sitting on the deck in balmy 73 degree weather with a gentle cooling breeze but enjoying the warmth of an early spring sun . Susan in NY I apologize for being so graphic 😊

It was so relaxing I failed to up load the actual spinning photo I took showing off my yarn and newly painted spring toes ! So it is late Tuesday night and I substituted a stock photo from last winter. However when I get a moment I will share it as the Alpaca is drafting in singles to die for. I see a potential county fair entry here.