Sunday, March 17, 2019

random weekend snaps




We've been having more strong winds.
These are not small branches.
~~~



I thought you might like to see what an
8-foot-wide hay bale looks like.
I probably should have put something on it for scale.
Piper, maybe.
~~~



A peaceful moment for Iris and Rocket.

Today Iris was combed for the first time.
Not so peaceful, but we took our time, got through it,
and were still friends at the end.

By the way, you can see why I've started calling her "Tiny Iris."
Literally from the moment of their births, she's been on the petite side,
and her brother has been on the solid side.
When you see them together like this,
the difference in the two extremes is really emphasized.
~~~


Daily markmaking continues!
This was Friday, #439: a dried zinnia head from last year's gardens.
~~~



This photograph of a hairy woodpecker could be clearer, but it was taken from 12 feet away and through two layers of glass. I'm glad I put this suet feeder close to the porch, because I've discovered the sound these birds make - a sort of whistly cheep, repeated, with a silent beat in between.

Every morning a woodpecker politely approaches the feeder,
and sounds so delighted and surprised to find the suet:
cheep?! pause cheep?! pause cheep?! pause cheep?!
It makes me smile.

I hope you had a lovely weekend!
Isn't it amazing how much daylight we're seeing now?
It's 7 PM and I can almost see the barn.
Even with the clocks moved ahead one hour, that's a nice change.
~~~~~

14 comments:

  1. When you comb out the cashmere fiber, what happens to it next?

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    Replies
    1. It goes into ziplock bags, labelled with goat's name, etc. Eventually, all the best raw fiber is going to a specialty mill to be spun into yarn. I've finally found a mill that I feel comfortable sending it to, so after this year's harvest...I'm planning to send it off. Fingers crossed.

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    2. Is there any chance of selling a little to an individual spinner??

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    3. Possibly. Do you mean the raw fiber, right off the goat? You'd be dehairing it by hand and then washing and carding it? When you spin it would you be carding and blending it with something else?

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    4. Ive processed a raw sheep fleece, so I'm familiar with the washing, carding, picking etc. As to spinning, that depends on how it spins, whether to try blending. The big deal is not the work, but the price!

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  2. We had just been wondering what a bale that size would look like. Rob had been curious since I told him about it. Thanks for sharing that!

    Brother and sister? I can't believe the size difference!

    Love, love the late sun. :-)

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    Replies
    1. And unfortunately for first-time mama Vinca, the big boy arrived before the tiny girl!

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  3. My 6'3" husband is twin to his 5'0" sister, and their baby pictures look the same, with him looking like a toddler next to her tiny self. She is the mighty force between the two of them, though, and he the gentle giant. :)

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    Replies
    1. Oh isn't that interesting! I've only known two sets of twins, and they were both identical - lots of fun in High School :)

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  4. I love the Zinnia head drawing!!!! And that hay bale is humongous!!!! I also love the photo of tiny Iris and her brother!

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  5. The scale is apparent by the size of the pallet beneath it--whoa... Iris is a pretty little lday, isn't she?

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    Replies
    1. Oh, you're right! There are actually two pallets, but the visible one is wood and the other one is black plastic of some sort, picked up at the lumberyard.

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  6. I laughed when I read the last bit about the talkative woodpecker because as I type this guess what I'm hearing!! The male is out there filling up on suet before he sleeps.

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