Ice... 2.0

I am writing this short missive mostly for my friends and family whose only familiarity with ice is having something to clink around in a glass while keeping your Mimosa cold. (Does one put ice in a mimosa??)  I have to say - you are the smart ones.  You may be missing out on the bewitching reality of four seasons and be singing "I'm Dreaming of A White Christmas" wearing your sandals and Bermuda shorts, you are not, however, trying to stay upright on a sheet of ice.

Ice? We don't need no stinkin' ice!

Normally we get some snow.  and then some more snow.  and then, lest we forget, some more snow.  So far this winter, we got some snow. Then it warmed up and we got some rain (Rain? really?) Then, of course, the temps dropped to the single digits.  Even those of you in temperate climes know what that  means: I...C...E... (yes, icy).

Well, we are tough go-getters out here, so we strap our ice cleats on our snow boots and sally forth.  No problemo. 

Okay, the weather says, that was not enough?  We now introduce...

ICE 2.0

This is not your beginner's ice.  Let me draw an analogy here.  Imagine, if you will, that someone has replaced your front side walk with a mirror.  And on this mirror they have emptied a 5 gallon bucket of mineral oil.  You are now expected to walk across this without falling on your arse.  This is ice.

ICE 2.0 is this base of oiled mirror with a 2 pound box of BBs dumped on it.  I double-dog dare you to be able to walk on that.

This is what we awakened to this morning:  Nine degrees (F) and a light dusting of slick dry snow on top of sheer ice. Yes, ICE 2.0

Suffice it to say that my walk across the field to work this morning was punctuated with shrieks of terror and curse words.

I did not, however, fall on my arse. 

Yet.

Springing Forth?

Does this look like Spring?

Here it is, March 23rd...  two nights ago we got about 6 inches of snow (a real 6 inches, not like when someone spreads their hands apart about 3 inches and says 3 feet) and then this morning about another inch.

Me: Did you get the memo?

Mother Nature: What memo?

Me: That Spring started March 20th this year?

Mother Nature: Oh that memo!  Was that a 3/20? because I could of sworn that was an 8, not a 3...

Me: Sigh...

 This little guy got the memo.

It's a robin. If I could read Robin's mind, I would imagine something along the lines of "What the heck?"

 Lots of my little birds are back, the dark-eyed juncos, the red-shafted flickers, downy woodpecker.  They have been noisily complaining about the amount of snow and lack of bugs, seeds, etc. to peck at.  I apologize to them, but really what can I do?  I just keep filling their feeder so that they don't drop dead.

Anyway, I know it is unseasonably hot in a lot of places, but not. here. at. all.  Everyone is getting a little crabby.  It happens to me every year at this time.  A week of bad weather feels like a month, and when the sun peeks out everyone goes crazy- yelling and shouting "The sky is on fire!! The sky is on fire!!"  Luckily the rain clouds come quickly in to extinguish the blaze.

"Really? Snow? I told Martha it was too early to come back..."

 There is this little promise.

Peony.  Can you see it?

and soon, soon there will be this.

Early summer garden from a couple years ago.

So patience my crabby friends (avian and other!).  It will happen.  and until then we can trust in Elizabeth Bowen's words:

“Autumn arrives in early morning, but spring at the close of a winter day.”

Let's hope the winter day closes soon.  Like real soon...

Spun out!

Not really, but super excited with this new roving that I bought from Greenwood Fiberworks.

Colorway is Emily, the fiber is BFL

It's still pretty bulky, but at least I am getting more consistent!  My friend Jamie is busy learning a new knitting pattern so that she can knit me a scarf with it!! :) Thanks Jamie!

In other news...

The buffalo are getting bored with winter.  They keep venturing out to the gate between their winter pasture and their summer pasture and looking wistfully out (yes, buffalo can be wistful...)

You may have to click to enlarge this to actually see them, but they are there between the big tree and my snow shoe path!

Bruno (the bull) has pushed all three of his "play stumps" to the fence line.  Brian will have to go out with the sled and move them back to the trees.  Then Bruno can start his game over again.  They really are a riot.  I love to watch them do their work out, wherein they run laps and laps until their little tongues are hanging out.  Totally entertaining.

I am getting pretty bored with winter myself.  March is a tough time of year.  There are little spring teases, like a bright and warm day, robins, juncos and flickers darting about, but then alas it clouds over, gets windy and then storms (rain into snow).  Ho hum.  I keep seeing photos of people's first spring crocuses coming up... I have to keep telling myself: "soon, soon."

In the meantime, spring snow does reveal some interesting and beautiful things.

Sumi ink style snow sculpture.

Less impressive, but still interesting

Snow, grass stalks and sun. Natural beauty.

And I did have a perfect little snowflake land on my coat sleeve yesterday... (ok, I am reaching here- it is getting more and more difficult to appreciate the snow!)

One last question- (and a confession)- I am a stats junkie.  I look at the number of views of my blog daily.  And I don't get tons of traffic, but some people are looking.  My question is this: Why won't anyone comment?  A comment is like getting a surprise piece of chocolate (without the caloric guilt!)  So, if you know the answer, feel free to comment! (see how sneaky I am?)

Winter- weather we like it or not!

Winter weather.  Ho hum.  I usually love the first snow storm, but I usually love it more when it happens in December...

Here's our forecast, courtesy of NOAA

Snow, snow, snow, snow and snow! Oh yes, and "Wintry Mix" whatever that is (I am guessing it is not like Chex mix.)


Anyway, even though it has been cold (14 degrees when I walked to work this morning!) it has been supremely beautiful.  When I walked through the field this morning, it was like walking through a field of beautiful, sparkly diamonds.  And then, a little tiny breeze came up and the diamonds turned into sparkle lights... I was a little late to work (imagine that!)

This photo doesn't do it justice- Sparkle lights!!!

 And walking through the field is so enjoyable due to this:

Beautifully mowed path

My husband spent last Thursday (pre-snow) harnessing horses, hooking up the sickle bar mower, mowing this path and then raking it with the side delivery rake (which decomposed during the job and had to be repaired- ho hum, the perils of junk equipment).  I feel very well loved :)

The bison like it as well- they have made it their main thoroughfare.

Next up- Crochet projects!

Shearing day extraordinaire!

Finally, finally, finally!

SkyLines snowy driveway to the sheep barn

I have been wanting to write about our most spectacular experience at SkyLines Farms down in Harvard, Idaho. My first excuse was that I didn't have any photos (yes, it's true I forgot my camera and my darling husband is still using a 35 mm, and when he got his photos developed he didn't get a photo CD!!) then dear Melissa, owner and shepherdess at  SkyLines emailed me some, and then work got the best of me and then the dog ate my homework... oh wait, that's an excuse for a different time.  So here it is, at last.


As you can see it was still snowy, snowy when we ventured down.  In fact, we almost canceled as we had blizzard conditions the week before.  Our original plan was for me to take Friday off of work so that we could drive down and spend the night and be up bright and early for Saturday's shearing.  Well, the only part of the plan that didn't change was that I took Friday off of work...  Instead of spending a leisurely day driving, we spent the entire day pulling 24 inches (that's 2 feet!) of fresh wet snow off our less snow-worthy outbuildings.  I called and told Melissa not to expect us that night and then we both passed out on the couch, with big plans of getting up early to drive down (you know like in school where you tell yourself, I'll just go to bed now and get up extra early tomorrow and finish that report). Well to be there at 8am for the start of shearing, we had to leave about 4:30 am, which we did (I know, I know you are all shocked, yet impressed).


It's 4 am, the alarm goes off.  We wander outside with flashlights and blurry eyes, throwing hay at confused animals who are wondering why their crazy humans are out there in the middle of the night.

Driving commenced.  In the dark.  and little snow flakes started to fall. and then more, and more.  Suffice it to say we got about 25 miles from home to a cool little place called Hope, (honest it is called Hope) and we were, well, beyond hope. It was snowing so hard that Brian could barely see the road and when we stopped and opened the door to look out, ours were the only tracks.  It seemed ridiculous to drive 4 hours in a blizzard, work hard outside all day, and then turn around and drive 4 hours back home. We waited.  We conferred.  We decided to turn back and go home.  yes, we did.  We drove about 21 of the 25 miles back home and the snow stopped.  Completely. Well, guess what?  yes, we did, again.  We turned around and drove the 4 hours and boy am I glad we did!!  Super fun day with super fun people.  okay, okay!! here are some more photos:

The "men-folk" working hard

The "women folk" actually working :)!

 Although I poke fun at the men here, shearing is hard, hard work.  Melissa has a great set up, indoors with a small pen to section off the current group of sheep waiting to be sheared and then a big covered area where we did the skirting (taking undesirable, unmentionables off the otherwise beautiful fleece- as Melissa told us, the lady in uptown Manhattan, opening the box containing her long awaited fleece does NOT want to pull out a clump of sticky, wet sheep poop!)  If you have never been to a shearing, I highly recommend it.  The only thing I can compare the actual shearing to is a magic show.  


The fuzzy, unshorn sheep mill around baaahing and looking nervous.  One of the helpers grabs up the next candidate and escorts them to the shearing platform (aka a plywood sheet). Martin, the shearer (or Magician, depending on your perspective), deftly takes control of the sheep which instantly relaxes.  Using a tool that looks like something you could easily use to cut off your toe, Martin whisks off a year's worth of beautiful, luxurious wool.

The fleece, miraculously still all in one piece, is then carefully picked up and brought to the skirting table.  Melissa made the coolest skirting tables out of 2 x 4s and PVC- portable, so she can use them wherever they are needed.

Yes, Hartsong Ranch will be having one of these soon!

The fleece is then tossed onto the table, shorn side down, and the meticulous picking, pulling and general inspection begins.

Here Melissa is giving direction to one of the skirters.

Second cuts (the teeny short bits of fleece produced when a section of sheep is clipped twice) generally fall through the slats as the fleece is picked up, shook and dropped down. As skirters, we attempted to find the neck and corresponding butt ends, so that when we folded and rolled them we could do it in the proper order.  Then all the "icky" bits (dirty, matted, full of VM- a.k.a. vegetable matter) were pulled off and put in the scrap pile under the table.  Melissa composts the dirty wool- which is quite a pile because she wants her fleeces to go out to her customers as clean as possible!

Dixie with the skirting pile

The skirted fleeces are then folded, rolled and bagged.  The responsible sheep's name is put on the bag and the bag is piled in the truck bed with all the other bags!  Martin sheared and we skirted and bagged 47 sheep fleeces!  The bags are then transported to Melissa's wool shed, where they are weighed and then sent to their lucky new owners.  


We had a fantastic lunch and awesome conversation all day.  Such a fun, interesting, worthwhile day.  And, to top it off, there was this:

Rainbow! a perfect end to a perfect day.

So, it took me a while to post this story, but it was worth the wait, wasn't it?  Just like participating in shearing day was worth braving the snow storm and making the drive!  The best things in life aren't always the easiest things in life.

HAPPY SPRING!!!  

Surf's Up!! Wait a minute...

Montana Curl

Well... this is what I encountered when I went out to do the chores this morning.  In Malibu, CA I think this is known as a "sweet curl, dude."  Here it gets more of a "holy crap! What the hell happened??!!"  
Too much snow, just the right temperature and well you see - there it is. Plasti-snow.  Well at least it is entertaining. Even if I can't shoot the tube or whatever it is that surfers do.

Here are a couple more shots for you:

The little sign says if we aren't here we are riding... horses, not waves!

Look out little Neon!

Ice Foam

Well, I guess it is just another day in Paradise.  It was supposed to rain today, but luckily it hasn't yet.  and the snow has given us a break!


Think Spring (please!!!!)

Snow Roller (aka A Post is Born)

So this is how my posts usually come about.

The screen saver on my computer is set to the “random photo” option. When I haven’t used my keyboard or mouse for about 5 minutes, it starts to rotate through all the photos in the “My Pictures” folder on the hard drive. I love it, although it has proven distracting to people trying to meet with my boss… One minute they are in deep philosophical discussion about a current issue on campus, the next minute they see a photo of my piggies pop up on my screen, or our cat with his Christmas tie on, or tapaderos or some such thing. I imagine, if you aren’t me, it would be a little bit discombobulating.

For me what happens is that I see a photo I love and then I want to post it and talk about it. Thus a blog post is born…

Today this photo captivated me:

Snow wonderful...

This is my adorable husband driving our (almost as adorable) Belgian team. The contraption he is driving is his Snow Roller. He built it himself with some old steel wheels, boards, bolts and a metal tongue he scavenged off something no longer driveable. He originally used a wooden tongue, but after this incident:

Ooops...

He decided metal is better for this application :) 

(thankfully, no horses or humans were injured in the making of this photo)

Driving this implement is his favorite winter-time activity. Neither one of us is much for snow (ha-ha on us for moving to the snow belt), but the Snow Roller makes it kinda fun. Conditions have to be just right, temperature above freezing, but not raining and then a good cold snap. If everything falls into place, Viola! I have a sidewalk to use for my walk to work! 

The holes are from the clod hoppers’ hooves!

Here’s some photos of hooking up 

(in the traditional sense, not the “down at the bar” sense) 

"Easy... Back..."

attaching the neck yoke

"Straighten up now boys. Good job"

Attaching the tug chains

And ready to roll! (pun intended…) 

 This is one winter-time happy camper!

The Bison are here! The Bison are here!

Well, really they have been here for almost 3 weeks...

I have been hoping to get better photos of them, but this is what I have and it seems better than waiting!

Bison herd in our holding pen!

 We have 7 total in our little herd: 

1 yearling bull, 2 yearling heifers and 4 heifer calves (sooooooo cute with their little horns!). 

All in all it has been pretty uneventful, which is good, and way more fun than I even imagined it would be.

We were very concerned that they would be frightened and storm around and run through the fences with smoke coming out of their nostrils and fire in their eyes.  Um... not so much. 

We kept them in our round pen (covered with landscape fabric so they couldn't see out and be terrified of trees, dogs?, squirrels? ... I don't even know what, but we protected them from it!  so the photo above was taken by me, laying on the freezing cold snow, and holding my camera under the bottom rung of our pen- yes anything for a photo!

We were told that we should flag all the fencing so that they could see the boundaries and not feel like they were home, home on the range.  So we did.  I am not sure if that is what is keeping them in, but it sure looks festive!!!

They really have fit right into our little ranch, the horses were actually more upset than they were once everyone was out and about in their respective pastures.  And of course, sheep and goats don't give a crap about much of anything, as long as there is hay to eat.

Against better judgment, I named everyone, but I can't really tell one from the other, so it is kind of a non-issue.

some bison reality:

1. No, you don't getta pet 'em.
2. No, I will not be brushing them to collect fiber to spin and selling high dollar bison yarn
3. Boys and girls have horns
4. They may be wild animals, but that doesn't mean they don't like to sleep on nice thick bedding (in this case hay they haven't eaten)
5. They really don't care if you call them bison or buffalo, as long as you are feeding them while you are doing it.

 Well that's their story for now.  Hopefully I will motivate myself to take some more pictures this weekend and post them next week!

One more photo, from the pen at the ranch where we got them.  Can you see the fire in her eye?

 

ArtFire

Well, I finally decided to put some of the things I have created in an online store! I posted 3 items to ArtFire! If you follow the link on the right side, you can see my store.

How exciting is that?!

In other news, my husband made this for the draft horses to pull:


I know you are wondering- What is it? Well, it is a snow roller of course! We already have too much snow to use it this year, but next year, look out! We will have the best groomed paths around!

We also have 4 little ewes now, but I haven't taken their photos yet! This weekend for sure, and I will post photos on Monday!

Happy weaving trails!