New Smol Rabbit Fren

Last Saturday 20, Pip and I were on our way to Maryland when we spotted a rabbit in a heap on the side of the side of the interstate :-o.  We'd left Kentucky at 5:00 that morning facing a long drive and I made the quick decision to feel sad, but keep driving........ . . .  .  .  .  .    .     .      .       .

We passed the first exit... . . .  .  .  .    .    .     .       .

.   .   .   and turned around at the next one.

I probably would have turned around anyway, but I really couldn't not stop with Pip sitting right there.  Remember that story?

I pulled way over and quickly jumped out of the car, grabbed the rabbit and jumped back in.  He or she did not appear to be injured, just wet and scared, and I gave them a big hug and told them they were safe.  They tucked in behind 20, looking very sad.  Pip promised them everything would be okay.

At the next rest stop they were starting to dry out and everyone repositioned and decided they were all feeling much better.  I'd added 20 or so minutes to my drive, but I was feeling better, too.  A good hug and snuggling in with some friends will do that for you :-).

Now home and washed and with a good brush out, we are all settled in.  Sadly, when I did an internet search, I found that this is probably a rabbit who originally had a baby rabbit sewn to their chest.  Maybe.  I hope they didn't lose their baby on top of losing their family :-(.

The name Sebastian had originally popped into my head, so maybe that's a sign I'm wrong, but the string on their chest seems important.  Maybe someone will see this and recognize their friend and they can all be reunited.

Until then, with the weather still so chilly, I'm thinking they might need a nice warm wool sweater :-).

So I Did A Thing

I decided I wanted to go to the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival this year.  It only took me over 20 years to get over the extreme heat from the first time I went when I swore I'd never go back ;-).  Anyway, I thought if I was going all that way, I should challenge myself to enter something in the Skein and Garment competition.

My favorite class is the Spinners Yarn Basket and from there it was an easy jump to figure out some way to include Jared.  If you are going to put that much effort into making something, it needs to be with a good friend.

In 25 words or less, you spin at least one pound of yarn, tell how you processed and spun the yarn, include the pattern you are going to use the yarn for and a swatch to show how it will work.  My favorite description for everything after that is "flower arranging for yarn".  

I am extremely honored that Big J and I brought home the blue ribbon.

I always wished I had a picture of the two of us so I decided to paint one.

And I wrote him a letter and put together a little booklet with some more information and "flower arranging".

And some of my favorite pictures that helped illustrate how much he meant to me and everyone who met him.

I made a big "basket" to hold his big yarn from the apple crate I used to sit on in the barn with him.  I lined it with a drawstring project bag that I made from one of Bill's old shearing bags and a sheet that we use to wrap the freshly shorn fleeces.  The tags are my required entry information.

This is the front and back (outside) of the booklet.  The inside spread was an excerpt from his obituary from the blog.

And this was what I would have said to him if we were standing in the driveway.  The Xs were to make sure there was no identifying information anywhere.

Meteorological note - this year was one of the coldest on record.  Of course it was.  

Maisie note - I included the picture of Maisie sashaying away from my wrecked bike with Jared looking on in horror because if you are going to do something bold, you might want to do it with Maisie...or not ;-).

I Gave Up

I'd hoped for the last two years that I'd be able to pick up a neighborhood swarm and feel pretty sure that I had at least some descendants from Stella's bees.  That didn't work out and I finally decided to just start over.  Of course, now that I've gone to all this trouble and expense, I'll probably find a swarm next week.  

I've never installed a package of bees before.  I've had lots of experience handling bees in general and am comfortable working with nucs (a small box of established bees with a queen), but dealing with a queen in a cage in a package of bees she doesn't know was a little daunting.  

I wanted a particular strain (Buckfast) bees though and a package was my only option.  That's okay.  Stella and I loved learning new things about beekeeping.  She'd have enjoyed the whole day, from going to pick them up to getting them settled.  She'd especially have liked the new inside feeder I'm using.

While a friend and I were waiting for the stragglers to move from the package into the hive box, we were able to watch some of the bees start to fan and talk to each other and then saw some take  orientation flights circling over the hive box.  A few even started exploring whatever these flowers are.

By nightfall, all but a few were tucked into the box and I was able to pick up the last 10 or so and deposit them at the entrance.  Hopefully they'll be happy here.  They've had a long couple of days I'd guess being packaged up and moved.  I promised them that tomorrow will be a better day.

Sadly, But With Fingers Crossed

The extreme cold last month really hit my beloved rosemary plant hard.  It probably may have killed it.  I've lost track of how many years it's been living in the greenhouse, but at least seven per a "Facebook Memory" posted back in November of 2025.

 

I found one tiny green branch the other day.  It's in a random spot and there is really no other sign of regrowth anywhere else.  While I hope it may regrow from the base, I think it's definitely facing a challenge and I've been stewing on this green sprig for several days.

Part of me wonders if that's the branch it needs to feed itself to see if it can get back on it's feet.  Another part of me wonders if this is the plant's way of giving me a gift.  That it worked really hard to shelter this one tiny twig so I could try to save it.

I decided to cut it off and try to root it.  I also took three other tips that had a little hint of green, albeit dried out, but not gray like the rest of the plant, and added them to the pot.  

This window has started several injured plants over the years, so I have some hope.  The little rosemary is in good company with a favorite geranium and a tiny hoya that were both tiny broken branches not long ago.

I'll keep you posted.

Olympic Medal

I ended up really happy with my Winter Olympic spinning.  I didn't get yards and yards of yarn spun, but I did spin all but two days (the Superbowl and an Illinois basketball game ;-), I challenged myself to spin different types of yarn and I liked them all.

I spun two different weights of Murphy, a worsted and a DK.  I spun each a little differently, but that's a post for another day.

The creamy white is Peter, a special sheep from Tring Farm.  The prep on this was a bit rustic, but she wanted a bulky yarn so I tried to embrace the rustic and I got better at spinning bulky and I think it turned out pretty nice.

I spun the Jacob (Tabitha) on the right a soft bulky weight as well and was happy with how that turned out, too.  It could have used another pass or two through the carder to smooth out the fiber, but that would have smoothed out the colors.  I loved the streaks and speckles of gray mixed with white.  I think I'll do some more of that one. 

The light gray skein is Mini Moose and it's just a soft and squishy as he is.  The dark gray is Jared, always a lovely spin.  The white in the front is the Romney I posted a week or so ago.  I will spin some more of that as well.

I really enjoyed making pretty yarn during the games and I've left my wheel up at the house and have continued on.  I'm spinning some Muffin right now.  It's nice to get back to doing the things that remind me why I got started on this whole sheep journey in the first place.

Friends And Family

A local shepherd needed a place for her small flock of beloved sheep...so three of them came here.  The other two went to another friend.  

"Hi!  My name is Krista, but I've heard there's already a Krista here, so I might get a nickname.  I haven't met her yet, but I've been told she is my grandma.  I wonder if she'll recognize me when we get to meet?"

"My name is Coonie and I'm actually really friendly.  My ears are back because the photo lady told me to Stay Back so she could take my picture.  Me and Krista were trying to get a good sniff of her to see if she maybe had some of the cookies she gave us last night in her pocket.  She says my face markings look just like Mini Moose, but that I actually AM mini.  I have no idea what that means."

"My name is Holly and I've been told my cousins Biscuit and Muffin live here.  I don't remember a Biscuit, but I think I remember a little scrawny black lamb who hung out in the front of the barn with her mom and drank a bottle.  I'm not sure how friendly I am, but I was the first one to try the cookies last night and I really liked them."

I think Holly will come around, but Krista and Coonie are already pocket sheep.  That's how they ended up here.  You know there's nothing I like more than a friendly old ewe.  

Everyone settled in quickly yesterday and this morning I was standing out with them and noticed Krista's pink nose and it reminded me of Maisie's cute pink nose...and then I really looked at her right ear.  

I noticed it looked a bit off yesterday, but she's missing her ear tag so just assumed it had torn out funny.  On closer inspection I found the whole bottom had been sliced off along the edge, not from a torn tag.  I'm guessing an old freak shearing accident.

Why is this even worth mentioning?

I think it's maybe a little wink from an old friend.

Fire Horses?

A few mornings ago I walked up to the barn, saw Gato resting on the hillside in front of the barn, didn't think anything about it.  When I came back out of the barn a few minutes later I saw him flat out, legs flailing.  Instant panic mode.

I raced over thinking about what to do.  Was he colicking?  Having a seisure?  He's 29.  Anything could happen at this point...and then he stopped.  Okay, now what?  I still need to figure out what is happening and how to handle it.

I watched him for a few seconds and saw one ear flicking back and forth...sort of like he was asleep and dreaming.  I've never seen a horse run in their sleep, so I'm still thinking seizure...and then his lips moved a bit...like he was...dreaming...

"Gato!"

(Rolls up on his chest) "What?"

"Oh, good grief."

(Goes back to sleep)

A few days later I saw him sleeping not far from where he and Frankie are in this picture...and he did it again.  I have never seen or heard of a horse running in their sleep and I asked a few friends and they are in agreement, no, even though it makes sense that they could.  

Maybe Gato's just faster than anyone else's horses...in his sleep ;-).

Lancelot was standing watch.  Sometimes I'll catch all three asleep on a sunny afternoon, but usually one horse stays up.

Happy Chinese New Year!

Thursdays Are For Spinning

A friend picked up some leftover fleeces from the North American wool show last fall and I claimed a Romney fleece.  I think that breed is exceptionally pretty (and cute) and by looks felt like the wool would be a Sara fleece (aka Not Merino), but wanted to find out for sure.  I washed my fleece a few weeks ago and yesterday pulled out a big handful to process and spin.

There was no wind and the sun was shining so even with the snow on the ground, it was too pretty to sit inside.  I carried my wheel outside and thought this picture was kind of funny with my muddy barn boots contrasting with the pretty wheel.  I ended up using them to hold my waiting to be spun bundles :-).

Pretty (and cute :-).

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As the afternoon cooled, I moved back inside for the last bundle.

I wound my bobbin off into a center pull ball and wrapped it around a plying ball.  This is my favorite way to ply samples.  Putting the two ends together around the plying ball keeps the two strands tidy and well behaved.

Ready for a soak.

And after.

I've called some of my Cotswold/Texel crosses "fake Romneys" and now I can say for sure that I was pretty correct.  Not too soft, but not too coarse.  A nice bit of halo and a good bounce.  Definitely a yarn I'll enjoy using ;-).  

[Blogging]

Nineteen years ago today was a snow day.  I know that because I was out taking pictures of the sheep for my very first blog post.  The two pictures I shared that day remain two of my very favorite pictures ever, but I've shared them many times over the anniversaries so this year I'm going to share another old favorite instead.  I believe I only have these beloved pictures because I started blogging...nineteen years ago.

So many old friends in this picture from February, 2015.  I wish Hank was mixed in there too, but I'm thinking that might be what Elizabeth, in the front, is looking at.  Don't miss Comby sitting on the fence.  It's all part of the puzzle.

Praying

 

It doesn't have to be 

the blue iris, it could be

weeds in a vacant lot, or a few

small stones; just

pay attention, then patch

a few words together and don't try to make it elaborate, this isn't

a contest but the doorway

into thanks, and a silence in which

another voice may speak.

Mary Oliver

Thank you for still being here and being my other voices.

 

"Go Outside!"

Occasionally it's a good thing to check your socials before bed.  I almost missed the Northern Lights last night!  

Apparently the last time we saw them here it never made the blog :'-(.  That makes me think it was two years ago, but I can't go back and verify.

The colors that time were purples and greens.  Last night was all about the red and we got streaks shooting up into the sky as well.  I can't even believe I am saying "that time"....and I'm trying not to overthink why I've now seen the Northern Lights three times in two decidedly not northern states.

The iPhone picks up extra light in "night mode" so the first two pictures were a little brighter than what you could see with just your naked eyes.  I did bump the over exposure down some to get a more realistic picture, but left them a little brighter because the skies were so pretty through the camera lens.  This bottom picture is what I was actually seeing standing out in the yard.

As soon as I saw we were getting good colors last night, I started making my calls.  While all of my friends, except  maybe one, I'd normally not call after 10:00 p.m., I did send out a call last night.  "Northern Lights! Go outside!"  

We shared pictures and exclamations and thank yous and one by one finally drifted off back to bed.  I settled in thinking about my night sky calendar picture choices and knew which one I should pick and the story that would go with it.

By morning light though, the choice between the two pictures I had in mind...the shot I was thinking of that would pair with the night sky stories had Lancelot and Gato as the feature, along with a full moon.  The other shot had Maisie and Short Round.  I already had a nice picture of Lancelot picked out for another month...and the other shot had Maisie and Short Round.

There's a pretty good chance that I am putting together our last farm calendar.  Tim is hoping to retire next year and without his in house printing service, the calendars are not really feasible.  I hate not telling all the good stories.  There may just be a couple of extra pages this year.

October

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Most of October was pretty darn good :-).

By The Way

That was Nistock Farms yesterday.  Probably most of you already knew that, but for anyone who doesn't know about their award winning sheep and beautiful wool and wood products, here's a link.

"I heard you used to be better at this blogging thing!"

A New York Flock Walk

I've been working on the 2026 calendar this week and was doing okay scrolling through months and months of pictures of Maisie and then got to the picture of her standing next to a big dangerous trench and an excavator, giving me one of "those looks" and it was so classic Maisie that...

I tried to keep it together and move on, but I just couldn't.  I kept staring back into her coal black eyes that always seemed to look straight into my soul and finally realized I needed to go do the evening chores...and fix dinner...and watch some "baking show"...and go to bed...and this morning I still couldn't get back to it so I decided to take a short vacation back to New York and share some pictures of sheep who aren't Maisie.

I also made three new puzzles!

Robin and I had been busy with all sorts of fun things that Saturday and as she and Andy started prepping evening feed, I headed out to the big field with my camera.  The leaves were just starting to turn and the light was starting to fade, but I still had a great time taking pictures of all her beautiful sheep.  Well, most of them.  There is also a ram barn and a group of retirement home sheep.  This is the main flock.  

It was a great vacation, then and today.  I hope you enjoy it as well :-). 

I did a post on Instagram this morning talking about counting sheep.  Does this picture make you want to start counting as well?

And dinner was served.