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and so the rain begins, mirroring my tears, washing Rowdy's remains into the earth, cleansing my grief, reminding me of the cycle of life, the balance of Nature. The magnitude of horrific events all over the world surround me, serving not to diminish my tragedy, but helping me accept it, to absorb it, allowing me to consider making something beautiful with Rowdy's fleece, which awaits me in my studio... How was I to know that after Jolt left for his new home in Arizona that that would also be the last time we saw his buddy, Rowdy? The mountain lion didn't know I had watched and helped him be born, that I named him "Rowdy" because he squalled constantly from the moment he took his first breath, that he was unusual and special, his coloring being almost albino, that his fleece would become beautiful, that he was best buddies with our ram, Jolt, that his personality would travel deep in my heart and I would love him and now miss him terribly. I don't blame the lion, but life is hard sometimes... Mixed feelings today. We are so happy that Jolt will be celebrating his ram-ness at a new farm, but it's tough to see this beautiful guy go. He wasn't too sure about riding in a trailer, but we're sure he'll be happy when he gets to his new home, in Snowflake Arizona. His wether buddy, Rowdy, misses him already! The girls were curious about the event, too. Rowdy got moved in with Yahtzee and Onslo, so he won't be lonely. It will take awhile for them to get used to each other, but mostly Yahtzee wants to make sure he's still the favorite... HAPPY BIRTHDAY, FREYA!!! Born Friday the 13th a whole year ago today, surprising us, now delighting us, Freya is learning to be a guard animal and has become quite tame. I brushed her today, for her birthday. Still not quite as big as mama Nella, but WAY bigger than a year ago! I thought I had acquired a reasonably-priced loom for weaving, but what it has turned out to be is an expensive cat toy. Our new kitten, Ratha, is a barn-cat-turned-house-cat I brought home from Anna Harvey's farm on Saturday, after the Ranch Day event. Fiber activities will be a particular challenge for awhile, I imagine. I remember from my childhood the boogie-woogie piano tune "Kitten on the Keys" (one my dad used to play) and am inspired to compose "Kitten on the Treadles." As I write this, she is taking a break from exploring my fiber tools and sleeping in her new bed, which I made from a felted wool sweater. I found the directions to making this clever design on the web and, of course, stuffed it with washed, Jacob sheep wool. After your exploring stage, will you grow to be a good studio cat, Ratha? Sure glad I moved the baskets of wool from the floor to hanging from the beams! We've been waiting SO LONG to have rain. Finally, on Sunday it did. All day. Wimpy rams sought shelter under the trees. And we sought shelter in the house, visiting with daughter Alyssa and son-in-law Dave, who were here for two days/ three nights with us. When they left on Monday, they headed for my favorite place on the whole planet: Silver Lake on the Carson Pass in Amador County. It's wonderful to pass on your passion for special places to your children! I'm trying out a new fiber blending tool, the hackle, graciously loaned by my friend, Janet. With its sharp tines, it is every bit as scary-looking as my other "torture device" fiber tools. Beginning with some indigo-dyed wool, I lashed some on the tines, filling across with a layer. Next, I lashed on some slippery, white silk. Then, some purple-dyed alpaca I've had for years, from West Valley Alpacas in Esparto, California. I repeated the layers twice more and then used a diz to take the blended fibers off the hackle, making a lovely roving. It spins up beautifully and is making a river of color on the bobbin of my Schacht wheel. Great process! And I thought I didn't need any more fiber tools... Typically, the sight of a Super Moon would be cause for me to celebrate and enjoy. However, the bright light from this moon has convinced the sheep for the past five days that at 3:30 a.m. it is dawn and time to be fed. Although I've quite adjusted to a farmer's hours, that's just a tad early for me. How can I resist these faces, though? The weather report keeps vaguely promising some rainfall, which we NEED. While we wait, though, I've been cultivating my patience by watching extraordinary clouds. |
sheep thrills
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