Friday
I am not quite as optimistic about good old (or young)Tweetie as I once was. I hope this is just a phase, but she has completely forgotten how to heel and side. She tugs at the leash in a way that would be horrible if she was 20 pounds heavier. Now it is merely a disgrace.
She has also started this barking thing. She will bark at strange dogs instead of being friendly to them, and also at new people (mostly adults, not children), or if children are yelling or running. What is up with this? What happened to our sweet little pup who was going to set the freestyle world on fire with her astoundingly youthful intelligence and obedience? I think this might be a manifestation of her "fearful phase". And buddy, it had better be quickly outgrown! Cause Momma is NOT happy.
A couple of new behaviors that we are working with include a mini-weave type of thing where she does a little figure 8 around the handler's legs. She will go anywhere for a treat. The second behavior is a home obedience type of thing. I have noticed that now that S is taking her out for more walks, she is brave about the outside and will dash out the front door and onto the porch. Once she even chased the cat out into the tractor shed where the cat easily evaded her and sat on top of the tractor tire grunting kitty obscenities down upon poor Tweetie's little round head. So now I am working to establish a Place command. She is supposed to go to a certain section of the front room rug and sit there quietly while the door is open. That way she will not be able to earn that treat and dash out the door. I think she likes treats even better than cat chases.
Still though, I am now dealing with the fear that she will disgrace us at our workshop and that she will be the worst dog there. Oh well, nothing ventured, nothing gained!
Y'all sit and be good,
Lori
Thursday
Today my car was in the shop. Sue and I have to drive to a city about 3 hours away from home in a couple of weeks and I wanted to have the old car checked over to be sure it was road worthy. I hate spending money on car repairs, but I hate sitting stranded beside the road even more.
So I borrowed Mom's car to take S to her 4-H dog meeting tonight. S decided that she wanted to do the dog meeting more than she wanted to go to her dance class.They were scheduled so that we couldn't do both. I don't like going so much, but she is an only child, we live at the end of a dead-end road in a rural area with no other children near her age, and we homeschool. Therefore, I am acutely aware of the need for socialization. She has 4-H activities, church activities, and various friends we occasionally visit.
This is the time of year I get serious about curriculum for the coming school year. I always say that January is the most dangerous time for our homeschool. I am bored with what we are already using, and all things are possible! Anyway, we have our plan and now I just need to track down the materials to make it happen. I already have most of what we need. I like to buy used materials whenever possible. With only one child, I don't get that multi-user benefit that larger families do, so have trouble justifying paying a high price for something that we will only use one year.
I still need to find Math U See Epsilon and the Rod and Staff English 5 student textbook. I have everything else or have already made arrangements with a person to buy theirs when they are done using it this spring.
In previous years, we started school early and therefore were done early. This year we tried time shifting and started late so we could enjoy our fall vacation to Florida. And now we will not finish until much later than I am used to. I hate it! I am ready to start in July this coming year so we will get out early! I don't mind starting early. Summers here are uncomfortably hot and humid, so the thrill is gone by July. I get all excited about starting another school year, so I am always chomping at the bit to get going. But I sure am ready to be done with it when that old spring fever starts kicking in!
Counting the pages,
Lori
Wednesday
This was a yucky day. Sue had an orthodontist appointment in the morning and an optometrist appointment at noon. We were on the road all day and I was exhausted.
One hilarious thing that happened was at one stop where we decided to let the pug out of the car to stretch her little legs in the mulched parking island in the middle of a parking lot. The pup lowered her head and then came up with a cigarette butt daingling from her lips! Looked like a 3 pack a day smoker! S and I laughed so hard we nearly fell over. Needless to say, I grabbed the butt and tossed it in the trash can immediately.
Fiber-wise, I am behind again. Our 4-H club made one of the tacked comforters for the last fund raiser. I bought the fabric to make another one for the next event. Which is nearly upon us! I need to find the border fabric asap and seam the top together just as soon as I can. Then I will see if some of the kids are willing to meet me at our meeting place and tie it on Tuesday or Wednesday. Then I will have two whole days to get the edges bound and ready to go. They need it for Saturday night.
Very little progress to report on organizing my felting projects. This week found me on the road every day. I just hate weeks like that. I love staying home and working on my stuff, but there are some seasons where I just seem to run all the time.
Gasping for breath,
Lori
Friday, March 28, 2008
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Monday, Farming; Tuesday, Family
OK, I'm trying to catch up!
Monday
Our place is a wreck. After the winter and then several periods of hard rain and ice, the yard is covered with downed sticks and debris. At least one tree is down on the fence and several run-off ruts have been created that will have to be filled in. But it is still too wet to do any of that right now. We have a big pine tree down near the driveway that has been there since Christmas, but it has been too wet or slippery to get the tractor in there to pull it out.
I'm thinking about gardening. I like the theory of gardening, but the actual effort of it leaves me a little less excited. I have been thinking about whether to expand the size due to rising food prices. I am a bit of a survivalist at heart, but I have trouble predicting whether to prepare for something that will not happen and that will affect my quality of life in the meantime, or to go all out.
After selling off all our stock, I am considering brokering a little hay for next year. Because we know a lot of people and because I have the time to follow up on leads, we usually can find hay at a good price. I could store a barn full and then double or triple my money in the spring and still be offering buyers a substantial savings over what others are charging. Hmmm, something new to ponder. At the very least, I could rent out our space to store hay for someone else who doesn't have enough space to store enough at their location....hmmmm....
Tuesday
Ah, family day. Speaking of the survival thing, a frequent question on some sites I read is whether you, who prepare for coming hard times, would let your relatives come and live with you if times really did get bad. That is a tough question. I firmly believe in the Bible verse that says If a man will not work, neither shall he eat. On the other hand, I know I couldn't turn down family--people I grew up with, the cousins I played with. Could you really let them perish when you had food? On the other, other hand, I can't afford or store enough to feed everyone.
I guess my final response would have to be Bring all the food you can and be prepared to forage in the woods to help supplement our supply enough to feed everyone. And bring work clothes because you will have to work in the garden and field to grow enough to eat next year. I couldn't turn away loved ones, but I wouldn't maintain freeloaders. Does such hard line thinking make me a bad person? I mean, Granny wouldn't be expected to pull a plow, but she would be expected to look after the little ones while their parents were out working and to snap beans or prepare fruit for canning. Everyone would have to do what they could.
I expect this will make me very unpopular with my relatives who always joke about, If the economy collapses, I'm coming to Lori's! Ha. Ha. I'm sure they will take the news that they better be prepared to work as a reason to seek out a more soft-hearted relative.
Oh well, gotta go, S. has an orthodontist appt and we need to leave.
Lori
Monday
Our place is a wreck. After the winter and then several periods of hard rain and ice, the yard is covered with downed sticks and debris. At least one tree is down on the fence and several run-off ruts have been created that will have to be filled in. But it is still too wet to do any of that right now. We have a big pine tree down near the driveway that has been there since Christmas, but it has been too wet or slippery to get the tractor in there to pull it out.
I'm thinking about gardening. I like the theory of gardening, but the actual effort of it leaves me a little less excited. I have been thinking about whether to expand the size due to rising food prices. I am a bit of a survivalist at heart, but I have trouble predicting whether to prepare for something that will not happen and that will affect my quality of life in the meantime, or to go all out.
After selling off all our stock, I am considering brokering a little hay for next year. Because we know a lot of people and because I have the time to follow up on leads, we usually can find hay at a good price. I could store a barn full and then double or triple my money in the spring and still be offering buyers a substantial savings over what others are charging. Hmmm, something new to ponder. At the very least, I could rent out our space to store hay for someone else who doesn't have enough space to store enough at their location....hmmmm....
Tuesday
Ah, family day. Speaking of the survival thing, a frequent question on some sites I read is whether you, who prepare for coming hard times, would let your relatives come and live with you if times really did get bad. That is a tough question. I firmly believe in the Bible verse that says If a man will not work, neither shall he eat. On the other hand, I know I couldn't turn down family--people I grew up with, the cousins I played with. Could you really let them perish when you had food? On the other, other hand, I can't afford or store enough to feed everyone.
I guess my final response would have to be Bring all the food you can and be prepared to forage in the woods to help supplement our supply enough to feed everyone. And bring work clothes because you will have to work in the garden and field to grow enough to eat next year. I couldn't turn away loved ones, but I wouldn't maintain freeloaders. Does such hard line thinking make me a bad person? I mean, Granny wouldn't be expected to pull a plow, but she would be expected to look after the little ones while their parents were out working and to snap beans or prepare fruit for canning. Everyone would have to do what they could.
I expect this will make me very unpopular with my relatives who always joke about, If the economy collapses, I'm coming to Lori's! Ha. Ha. I'm sure they will take the news that they better be prepared to work as a reason to seek out a more soft-hearted relative.
Oh well, gotta go, S. has an orthodontist appt and we need to leave.
Lori
Monday, March 24, 2008
Sunday Supplement Number 3
Easter! Christ is risen, He is risen,indeed!
I had a bit of a tough time keeping the religious focus this Easter since we invited the extended family to have the holiday meal here at our house, but I really enjoyed the church service before the meal. The rest of my time was consumed by house cleaning and cooking.
Due to a number of circumstances, we have offered to take in our 15yo nephew to live with us. While I am usually the type of person who would freak out about something of this magnitude, I am unusually calm about it. I really think I have been able to leave it in God's hands. If He wants it to happen, it will and it will be a wonderful blessing for all concerned. If He doesn't want it to happen, then it won't and no amount of my planning and scheming will change things. I haven't planned out every contingency nor have I already decorated his bedroom.
I dont' know if this will ever happen or when. It could unfold in a calm, peaceable manner and he could come at the end of the public school year. Or it could explode and we could get a call in the middle of the night tonight. There are just too many variables for me to get all worked up about it now. I did discuss it with S., so that she would not be taken totally by surprise if it did come to pass. We will start deep cleaning in the extra bedroom, so that if it does come to a crisis in the night, we can have a fresh, clean bed ready for him. But anyway, I got a real sense of peace at church on Sunday.
We had 10 for Easter dinner and served ham and all the trimmings. After the meal, we played bluegrass and old time music and rode around in Mom's Kawasaki Mule. The kids went out and fed a bunch of old, stale cereal to the chickens. Which made for a memorably festive day for both folks and fowl. All in all it was a very nice celebration.
He is risen!
Lori
I had a bit of a tough time keeping the religious focus this Easter since we invited the extended family to have the holiday meal here at our house, but I really enjoyed the church service before the meal. The rest of my time was consumed by house cleaning and cooking.
Due to a number of circumstances, we have offered to take in our 15yo nephew to live with us. While I am usually the type of person who would freak out about something of this magnitude, I am unusually calm about it. I really think I have been able to leave it in God's hands. If He wants it to happen, it will and it will be a wonderful blessing for all concerned. If He doesn't want it to happen, then it won't and no amount of my planning and scheming will change things. I haven't planned out every contingency nor have I already decorated his bedroom.
I dont' know if this will ever happen or when. It could unfold in a calm, peaceable manner and he could come at the end of the public school year. Or it could explode and we could get a call in the middle of the night tonight. There are just too many variables for me to get all worked up about it now. I did discuss it with S., so that she would not be taken totally by surprise if it did come to pass. We will start deep cleaning in the extra bedroom, so that if it does come to a crisis in the night, we can have a fresh, clean bed ready for him. But anyway, I got a real sense of peace at church on Sunday.
We had 10 for Easter dinner and served ham and all the trimmings. After the meal, we played bluegrass and old time music and rode around in Mom's Kawasaki Mule. The kids went out and fed a bunch of old, stale cereal to the chickens. Which made for a memorably festive day for both folks and fowl. All in all it was a very nice celebration.
He is risen!
Lori
This is really for Friday, March 21
Hi!
Me again. Remember, the woman who vowed to faithfully keep up her blog? Yeah, right!
OK, so it's dog training day and I am now convinced that I am the world's worst person to be writing about this topic. I am not too pleased at how things are progressing. Although the pug pup does fairly well here in the comfort of our own home, she can't heel worth a fig anywhere else. She barks at other dogs and people and if she weren't so small, she would be unpleasant to be around.
Oh, how I hope this is just a puppy phase. She did fine with the 4-H dogs at the meeting, it was just a dog in a yard while we were walking on the sidewalk that got her so rattled recently. A part of the problem is that I don't know quite how to take her most of the time. She is such a silly puppy. I really think she loves us, but when she is playing at attacking our shoes, she can growl and bark like a hound from Hell. I know she doesn't mean it in a vicious way, but it sure sounds bad. I hope that I am misinterpreting her barking at other dogs and people when I see it as a warning and she perhaps intends it as play acting.
Anyway, I am a bit stymied with the training. I tried starting to teach a Back command but she wasn't going back straight so I didn't want to teach her incorrectly and then have to unteach and reteach later. She has started weaving around my legs for a treat and her large circle is getting better. Her crawl is getting worse, with that little back end popping up all the time now. Perhaps I am just in a down mood, but I am a little concerned that I will be ashamed of her at the workshop in April.
I also fear we have lost ground in the housebreaking department. Things were so busy last week that we failed to monitor her as closely as we should have and there were several accidents. So right now I am feeling like a failure as a trainer and that all is hopeless.
Wiping my tears with a clean, extra puppy pad,
Lori
Me again. Remember, the woman who vowed to faithfully keep up her blog? Yeah, right!
OK, so it's dog training day and I am now convinced that I am the world's worst person to be writing about this topic. I am not too pleased at how things are progressing. Although the pug pup does fairly well here in the comfort of our own home, she can't heel worth a fig anywhere else. She barks at other dogs and people and if she weren't so small, she would be unpleasant to be around.
Oh, how I hope this is just a puppy phase. She did fine with the 4-H dogs at the meeting, it was just a dog in a yard while we were walking on the sidewalk that got her so rattled recently. A part of the problem is that I don't know quite how to take her most of the time. She is such a silly puppy. I really think she loves us, but when she is playing at attacking our shoes, she can growl and bark like a hound from Hell. I know she doesn't mean it in a vicious way, but it sure sounds bad. I hope that I am misinterpreting her barking at other dogs and people when I see it as a warning and she perhaps intends it as play acting.
Anyway, I am a bit stymied with the training. I tried starting to teach a Back command but she wasn't going back straight so I didn't want to teach her incorrectly and then have to unteach and reteach later. She has started weaving around my legs for a treat and her large circle is getting better. Her crawl is getting worse, with that little back end popping up all the time now. Perhaps I am just in a down mood, but I am a little concerned that I will be ashamed of her at the workshop in April.
I also fear we have lost ground in the housebreaking department. Things were so busy last week that we failed to monitor her as closely as we should have and there were several accidents. So right now I am feeling like a failure as a trainer and that all is hopeless.
Wiping my tears with a clean, extra puppy pad,
Lori
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Time For School
Homeschool's the topic for today. Sue has come up with a scheme to make money, improve her composition skills, and document her dog-related activities. She is planning to write a book. And I am not about to discourage her. That is one of the things I love about homeschool, the student can come up with innovative ideas and really run with them. We will have to see how fully this plan comes to fruition.
Another school related thing that is happening around here these days is that Daddy is participating whether he likes it or not. He told us that he had to take a training seminar at work this week and on Tuesday evening he came home and had to study for a test. That set S's imagination aflame! So she started making her "curriculum tests" for her father to take. She is just now realizing that she may be learning some things that adults may not know or recall. Good old Dad did OK on his math test, but bombed the history test S made up for him. He did so so on spelling. The next day she made the art, geography, science, and health portions of her test for Dad. Poor C. I really appreciate him coming home from a seminar all day and then taking S's tricky tests. At this point, I think she has had enough compassion to give him a low B grade for his troubles. (I had to talk her up from a C).
The longer we do school at home, the less it resembles conventional public schooling. There are so many things they do that would be absolutely required if you were teaching a group that I can dispense with since I have only one student. It is such a luxury to be able to move ahead at our own pace, and not have to move to the next lesson before S masters the current one. I initially worried that this would make us lazy and keep her behind others of her age. Actual experience turned out the opposite. We had to do one and a half years of second grade to slow things down a bit. She had worked through all the second grade material and was starting on the third grade stuff and was only 6yo. So I made the decision to fill her time with a more second grade work and to stay closer to grade/age level.
I don't want a Doogie Howser type daughter. If we raced through school and she graduated two or three years early, how would that be a benefit? I certainly wouldn't let a 14yo go away to college. It will be easy to find lots of neat enrichment stuff to fill the extra time. She likes to earn her own money, so I expect lots of financial schemes to surface in the next 10 years. I am in no hurry to push her into adulthood. Right now she wants to grow up to be a dog/pet products designer. It used to be a toy designer before she got so into the dogs.
On a technical note, we can see the end of the math book from where we are now. Only about 5 lessons left. Other things will take a little longer to wind their way to an end. We will be done with our academic year probably by the end of April. I usually try to continue with weekly fun reading and a once-a-week math review throughout the summer. We work too hard all year learning things just to forget them over the summer!
So...gathering up that final head of steam to take us to the fininsh,
Lori
Another school related thing that is happening around here these days is that Daddy is participating whether he likes it or not. He told us that he had to take a training seminar at work this week and on Tuesday evening he came home and had to study for a test. That set S's imagination aflame! So she started making her "curriculum tests" for her father to take. She is just now realizing that she may be learning some things that adults may not know or recall. Good old Dad did OK on his math test, but bombed the history test S made up for him. He did so so on spelling. The next day she made the art, geography, science, and health portions of her test for Dad. Poor C. I really appreciate him coming home from a seminar all day and then taking S's tricky tests. At this point, I think she has had enough compassion to give him a low B grade for his troubles. (I had to talk her up from a C).
The longer we do school at home, the less it resembles conventional public schooling. There are so many things they do that would be absolutely required if you were teaching a group that I can dispense with since I have only one student. It is such a luxury to be able to move ahead at our own pace, and not have to move to the next lesson before S masters the current one. I initially worried that this would make us lazy and keep her behind others of her age. Actual experience turned out the opposite. We had to do one and a half years of second grade to slow things down a bit. She had worked through all the second grade material and was starting on the third grade stuff and was only 6yo. So I made the decision to fill her time with a more second grade work and to stay closer to grade/age level.
I don't want a Doogie Howser type daughter. If we raced through school and she graduated two or three years early, how would that be a benefit? I certainly wouldn't let a 14yo go away to college. It will be easy to find lots of neat enrichment stuff to fill the extra time. She likes to earn her own money, so I expect lots of financial schemes to surface in the next 10 years. I am in no hurry to push her into adulthood. Right now she wants to grow up to be a dog/pet products designer. It used to be a toy designer before she got so into the dogs.
On a technical note, we can see the end of the math book from where we are now. Only about 5 lessons left. Other things will take a little longer to wind their way to an end. We will be done with our academic year probably by the end of April. I usually try to continue with weekly fun reading and a once-a-week math review throughout the summer. We work too hard all year learning things just to forget them over the summer!
So...gathering up that final head of steam to take us to the fininsh,
Lori
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Rain, Rain, Go Away!
I'll call you back when I need you! Ha! The ground around here has been soaked since the snow thawed. We have had two flooding situations this month already. Yesterday and today it has rained non-stop. I now have a little water in my utility room that doesn't belong there. That seems to happen every 4 or 5 years or so.
I could A) do something expensive or that involves a lot of hard work to fix the problem (or both), or I could B) just keep important things up off the floor and let the water flow through whenever it gets in, mop up the residue and move on with my life. How many of you guessed I picked option B? I moved the few non-waterproof items to the top of the freezer and we will just have to let the water flow. It usually only gets a couple of inches deep anyway.
Re Farming:
This was supposed to be Monday's topic, but this past Monday was St. Patrick's Day and we were zooming around town so S. could perform at all her various Irish Dance venues. One of them was an Irish pub. S. is so funny right now about drinking. She definitely sees things in black and white. She told me she was standing next to a drunk guy at one point. I asked how she knew he was drunk. She told me it was obvious--he was holding his glass at a dangerous angle and had beer dribbling out of his mouth and onto his chin. Sounds drunk to me! It is such a fine line to walk, letting our kids experience the world in which they will have to live but not over exposing them or sheltering them too much.
Back to farming. I recently read an article in a farm magazine that indicated that they are expecting a period of increased income, with recession on the horizon and rising food prices. Does that ring true with you? Most of the farmers I know are having a tough time of it these days. The meager (if any) income increases they are seeing are not keeping pace with their expenditures. Many have sold down to only the essential breeding stock. I wonder where this La La land is and if there is any more good crop land for sale!
Tuesday the buyer came and picked up the Soay ewes I had for sale. It was a little bittersweet to see the girls go. One of them was my main ewe from the very beginning. I enjoyed sheep farming. For a good while that was a big part of my identity. I did well with them--I more than doubled my investment money. But the time had come to get rid of our livestock until our fences and barn can be reinforced to a useable status or replaced. We were looking at about $30,000 to build a nice, new barn and fence enough of this place to hold more sheep and horses. We just couldn't justify that much expense for animals that produced so little (or no) income. Sometimes we just have to make hard choices.
Re Family
So on Tuesday, when I should have been blogging about family, I was out sheep wrangling. One word about family, even though S. is only 9 she can be a big help around here. She is very reliable about working a gate or helping handle animals. I trust her more than I do some adults. She is at an odd, very uneven stage. One day she will act so mature, cooking, cleaning, and being a real joy. Other days she will be a real pill, lazing around leaving messes everywhere, arguing, and disobeying and driving me crazy. I hope this is an age thing and will eventually pass.
Wednesday--fiber day!
I have to confess the only fiber related things I did today were administrative. When I was out cleaning the barn last Saturday, I brought an old pair of the hand held, non-mechanical sheep shears in to put into my fiber education box. I think people might like to see them. I think the design has been unchanged for hundreds of years. But they still work quite well. I also read a flyer about a series of upcoming pioneer presentations and our spinning guild is listed to demonstrate at one of them. That would be good, as I haven't made time to spin for a while. The schedule also has vague mention of 4-H activities that will be offered, so I may end up taking my whole fiber education display on the road or some part of it.
On the down side, I realized this morning that my needle felting projects are in a terrible state of disarray. I have multiple bags and boxes of partially finished work. I need to get it all together in one place, sort it all out, and then systematically finish it one by one. I may try to get that to happen this spring. If I could get it organized, I think there would be lots of down time to fill at the various dog events and I could use it wisely.
So, that's about it for me. Utility room awash. Ewe pen empty. Fiber fuzz everywhere. And my beloved daughter hanging around with drunks. Is spring here yet?
Lori
I could A) do something expensive or that involves a lot of hard work to fix the problem (or both), or I could B) just keep important things up off the floor and let the water flow through whenever it gets in, mop up the residue and move on with my life. How many of you guessed I picked option B? I moved the few non-waterproof items to the top of the freezer and we will just have to let the water flow. It usually only gets a couple of inches deep anyway.
Re Farming:
This was supposed to be Monday's topic, but this past Monday was St. Patrick's Day and we were zooming around town so S. could perform at all her various Irish Dance venues. One of them was an Irish pub. S. is so funny right now about drinking. She definitely sees things in black and white. She told me she was standing next to a drunk guy at one point. I asked how she knew he was drunk. She told me it was obvious--he was holding his glass at a dangerous angle and had beer dribbling out of his mouth and onto his chin. Sounds drunk to me! It is such a fine line to walk, letting our kids experience the world in which they will have to live but not over exposing them or sheltering them too much.
Back to farming. I recently read an article in a farm magazine that indicated that they are expecting a period of increased income, with recession on the horizon and rising food prices. Does that ring true with you? Most of the farmers I know are having a tough time of it these days. The meager (if any) income increases they are seeing are not keeping pace with their expenditures. Many have sold down to only the essential breeding stock. I wonder where this La La land is and if there is any more good crop land for sale!
Tuesday the buyer came and picked up the Soay ewes I had for sale. It was a little bittersweet to see the girls go. One of them was my main ewe from the very beginning. I enjoyed sheep farming. For a good while that was a big part of my identity. I did well with them--I more than doubled my investment money. But the time had come to get rid of our livestock until our fences and barn can be reinforced to a useable status or replaced. We were looking at about $30,000 to build a nice, new barn and fence enough of this place to hold more sheep and horses. We just couldn't justify that much expense for animals that produced so little (or no) income. Sometimes we just have to make hard choices.
Re Family
So on Tuesday, when I should have been blogging about family, I was out sheep wrangling. One word about family, even though S. is only 9 she can be a big help around here. She is very reliable about working a gate or helping handle animals. I trust her more than I do some adults. She is at an odd, very uneven stage. One day she will act so mature, cooking, cleaning, and being a real joy. Other days she will be a real pill, lazing around leaving messes everywhere, arguing, and disobeying and driving me crazy. I hope this is an age thing and will eventually pass.
Wednesday--fiber day!
I have to confess the only fiber related things I did today were administrative. When I was out cleaning the barn last Saturday, I brought an old pair of the hand held, non-mechanical sheep shears in to put into my fiber education box. I think people might like to see them. I think the design has been unchanged for hundreds of years. But they still work quite well. I also read a flyer about a series of upcoming pioneer presentations and our spinning guild is listed to demonstrate at one of them. That would be good, as I haven't made time to spin for a while. The schedule also has vague mention of 4-H activities that will be offered, so I may end up taking my whole fiber education display on the road or some part of it.
On the down side, I realized this morning that my needle felting projects are in a terrible state of disarray. I have multiple bags and boxes of partially finished work. I need to get it all together in one place, sort it all out, and then systematically finish it one by one. I may try to get that to happen this spring. If I could get it organized, I think there would be lots of down time to fill at the various dog events and I could use it wisely.
So, that's about it for me. Utility room awash. Ewe pen empty. Fiber fuzz everywhere. And my beloved daughter hanging around with drunks. Is spring here yet?
Lori
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Sunday Supplement #3
I'm going to call this SS No. 3 because I want to do something special when we have had a "month of Sundays".
Today was very pretty but a little cool. S. had archery practice today after church. I was surprised to find out how cool it was when we got out of the car, so I raided my winter supply bag. Among other things I put on a pair of sweat pants under my church dress, a baggy sweater-coat, and my shawl on top of that. Later C. told me I looked like a bag lady in her pajamas. I think he was implying that I was not exactly a fashion plate. But I was toasty warm, so there!
I came home and watched an interesting vidoe clip on a show called Canine Confidential. It talked about how people were making their dogs "full fledged members of their families" now and that they were treating them more like people than animals, and spending big bucks.
I am pondering this information along with the activities we are currently on the tip of joining--the canine freestyle, or dog dance competitions. Is is silly to teach a dog a routine of behaviors to do to music and then to gather with other like minded folks to perform and compete? The benefits include learning about animal behavior, animal training, choreography, performing, and the fact that is is a fun activity for my 9yo daughter the involves her getting up and running and dancing. Even though it may be a bit silly, it sure beats time at the computer playing games, letting muscle tissue waste away, and working on a case of her own childhood obesity.
We have recycled many of our horse grooming tools for the dogs, along with a crate we used for holding sheep which was originally a jumbo dog crate anyway. I can see how things could get out of hand though. Thank heavens freestyle does not require the purchase of a lot of expensive equipment. My big expense will be going to the occasional show or workshop. However, I justify that as the cost to participate in a wholesome, fun, family-friendly activity that has educational benefits on the side. What hobbies do urban girls get involved with around the age of 9-12 or so?
I will continue to report on how this is working out.
Hope everyone is having a nice, peaceful Sunday afternoon.
Lori
Today was very pretty but a little cool. S. had archery practice today after church. I was surprised to find out how cool it was when we got out of the car, so I raided my winter supply bag. Among other things I put on a pair of sweat pants under my church dress, a baggy sweater-coat, and my shawl on top of that. Later C. told me I looked like a bag lady in her pajamas. I think he was implying that I was not exactly a fashion plate. But I was toasty warm, so there!
I came home and watched an interesting vidoe clip on a show called Canine Confidential. It talked about how people were making their dogs "full fledged members of their families" now and that they were treating them more like people than animals, and spending big bucks.
I am pondering this information along with the activities we are currently on the tip of joining--the canine freestyle, or dog dance competitions. Is is silly to teach a dog a routine of behaviors to do to music and then to gather with other like minded folks to perform and compete? The benefits include learning about animal behavior, animal training, choreography, performing, and the fact that is is a fun activity for my 9yo daughter the involves her getting up and running and dancing. Even though it may be a bit silly, it sure beats time at the computer playing games, letting muscle tissue waste away, and working on a case of her own childhood obesity.
We have recycled many of our horse grooming tools for the dogs, along with a crate we used for holding sheep which was originally a jumbo dog crate anyway. I can see how things could get out of hand though. Thank heavens freestyle does not require the purchase of a lot of expensive equipment. My big expense will be going to the occasional show or workshop. However, I justify that as the cost to participate in a wholesome, fun, family-friendly activity that has educational benefits on the side. What hobbies do urban girls get involved with around the age of 9-12 or so?
I will continue to report on how this is working out.
Hope everyone is having a nice, peaceful Sunday afternoon.
Lori
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
