First things first: the water is running again.

Thank you all for your good wishes.

It took a while.

And several thousand dollars.

BUT.

You do what you gotta do, right?

And all's well that ends well.

~~~~~

dry monday

When I turned on the kitchen faucet at 1AM and nothing happened, I said to Moxie and Della, "Well, this is likely to be an interesting day." Such a useful word, isn't it, "interesting"?  So far, I have been waiting over 6 hours for a callback from my usual plumber, and 3 hours for a callback from the plumber who did a small job for me in 2020. (I almost wrote "the plumber who did a small job for me last year," but caught myself.) I have now also left a message with a pump installer/fixer, since a repair or replacement may be what's needed anyway. If so, talking with him may effectively cut to the chase and bypass the plumbers who seem happy to bypass me. The pump man is still on holiday until tomorrow, but you never know - he may be the first to call back.

I can live with inconvenience, and can work around the absence of many not-strictly-necessary things, but good water is critical. Goats need it, chickens need it. Fresh clean water for everyone gets taken care of morning and evening, every day. And because of that, the cats have plenty for at least another day, and the goats are alright until tonight. The hens will be fine for a couple of days. I usually drink water all day long, but fortunately made a jar of Turkish coffee yesterday so I've been sipping that as iced coffee all day. It's possible I will have acquired a fairly fine edge by evening.

Other than the water situation, 2023 is off to a good start here, and I hope the same is true for all of you. Do you have special plans for adventure in the new year? Last night I opened my little box of new art supplies, and here's the first sketch of 2023, based on a video clip. This is one of the Sheldrick WildlifeTrust's orphaned elephant babies, playing in shallow water and having a grand time. The sketch was made with water-soluble graphite pencils - a concept that boggles my mind the tiniest bit. When it comes to art, it seems there's always something new to try. And most of it is inexpensive and very good fun.

Oh dear. It was totally accidental, but I can't seem to get away from the water theme!

Thank you for all the lovely comments about the hap for the second baby. If anyone feels the urge to make one, let me know and we can have a long-distance knit-along! I'm already in the mood to cast on another one, even without a baby waiting in the wings. Maybe an adult-sized blanket this time. It's just a very satisfying knit. Think about it! 

~~~~~

result

On Christmas night, I took a project off the needles. I can only knit in short sessions these days - no handknitting marathons in the foreseeable future - so this second Hansel Hap has been in the works all Autumn.

Before washing and blocking, I couldn't resist taking one picture of the hap in all it's rumpled disarray:

In case it looks slightly familiar, this is the second version of the hap I made for my Occasional Helper and his wife when they were expecting their first baby. You can probably guess why I made this one!

The wool was all ordered from Jamieson and Smith in Shetland again, and this time I bought the main color on a single cone instead of in multiple hanks or skeins. It's slightly more economical that way, plus saves a lot of splicing. Yarn on a cone still holds some of the oil used in processing, and I wondered if it would affect my tension, especially in a project combining oiled and washed yarns. I considered winding off the amount needed for the hap, making a hank, and washing it before knitting with it, but was told it shouldn't be necessary. And I actually forgot all about the oil until just before washing the hap, but then I remembered and it's a good thing, because it might have been a bit of a shock when, after an hour-long soak, the wash water looked like this:

Downright murky!

It took three rinses before the water was clear:

Then the hap was gently rolled up in a big towel and Moxie and I pressed as much water out of the yarn as possible before beginning the blocking process. Blocking a blanket is a lot of gentle stretching and flattening and pinning. 

First this side...

then that side...

then around a corner...

and around and around and around.

Until what initially seems like an acre of unmanageable stretchy wet wool

becomes an orderly four-foot square.

It's quite satisfying when done, but the blocker may need a little lie-down.

~~~~~

weather report

After getting fairly well into the Winter rhythm of life,

this was yesterday morning:

As the day went on, the temperature topped 50F.

Rain. And wind.

Darkish:

Happily, the sun made a surprise appearance once or twice, which meant I could race outside and do a quick chore or two without getting thoroughly soaked except from the knees down.

This was a sunny time:

 

I took the opportunity to let the fire burn out completely so I could clean all the ashes out of the woodstove. Then I immediately laid another fire, because in the afternoon the temperature dropped at a rapid clip. The rain turned to snow and wind around 6PM, but we were fortunately spared the drama some places saw, and didn't lose power. So grateful. Without power, there is no water. Goats need a lot of water.

The forecast called for single digits last night - a 50-degree drop! - so I lit the propane heater for the first time this Winter, as back up for the woodstove.

It was 4F and clear when I started the chores today, Christmas Eve.

The first round of feeding and watering took nearly 2 hours, and I had to come in twice to dunk my aching fingers in a bowl of tepid water despite wearing crazy-thick, insulated, rubber-palmed gloves. Just a minute in tepid water and my hands were as good as new and ready to get back to work.

Water is a magical element, is all I'm saying.

Too cold to take photographs today, so here is a recent picture from my tiny wildlife area, which is extremely popular these days. This bird is demonstrating the tail-brace method woodpeckers use, which is why I attach suet feeder to scraps of board. I like my guests to be comfortable while they dine.

Speaking of guests, if you are celebrating holidays with loved ones I hope it will be wonderful. And if you are enjoying a quiet weekend, I hope you have everything you need for a perfect time, including running water and heat and snacks. And plenty of hay.

It's nearly 4, and I've got one more quick round of chores to do before dark, so I'd better pull my socks up and get moving.

~~~~~

yesterday

 

A real snowstorm yesterday.

The hay sled is back in service.

~~~~~