We Are The Ones Song by will.i.am

Another great video - it moved me, I hope it moves you.

Leap Day

I love Leap Day. It makes me feel energentic because I have an extra day. As I told my friend Tara, it's close to the way I feel when I get that "extra" hour when we Fall Back in the Fall, only better because it is 24 "extra" hours!!

News from the Farm and Around Town:

We still have plenty of eggs AND they are not spoiling!

The sun is shining and it's balmy outside.

Cooper's Store sold! A brother & Sister from Wenatchee (I think) bought it and he's going to live in the basement and they are not making any major changes, just going to tinker here and there, starting with the plumbing. Seems the brother is a Handy Man of sorts.

(I went to Cooper's yesterday to post the mail & stopped at the Cafe to drink a glass of ice tea with Grant & MaryAnn....)

I've organized the sewing room. I feel inspired, cozy, & happy when I'm there.

Do not worry though, Tyler, Susie, Lucy & Jasper, it can change into the "Play Room" any ol' time you come visit - lickity-split!

That's all folks, the oven is beeping (apple crisp inside) and the sewing room is a calling me.

Project Two

This project isn't completely finished. They are my "Travel Slippers" . I have invisioned a bag that they will go in when I visit friends. The special part of these slippers is the purple yarn. It was a gift to me from my Sweet Betsy May. I've had the yarn for months, waiting till I had just the right project. It's alpaca and not durable for slippers so I combined it with a soft DK CashSoft gray yarn. The combination feels great on the feet. The pattern is from 101 Designer One-Skein Wonders(so is the yellow jumper). I like the book but I do have to use other books to help me thru the projects because the instuctions do not hold your hand. I love this book for basic instructions, hand knits for the home. Todays chore is organizing the sewing room and hopefully I can make the bag tomorrow.

I've added another sewing link I like. She has free patterns on her site!

Hope you are not bored with my "project" posts, I'm a little nervous about posting them......

A Week of Visits

We had a great week!

It began last Sunday afternoon with the arrival of Arlene- which always means fun games of "Up The Creek", "Scrabble", long walks and good food.

Monday was perfect sledding weather - cold, sunny, and icy snow. The snow sparkled in the sun. I enlisted Arlene to help me find just the right sledding slopes for Lucy and Jasper who were coming later in the week. Why is it that adults need the excuse of children to go out and have fun playing?

Arlene and I had a blast testing the different runs - we bounced acrossed the icy snow fields, frantically sticking out our feet to stop us from crashing into the barbed wire.

Yes, we found safe slopes for the kids, and Yes we were sore the next morning!

April and crew arrived, via Amtrak, Wednesday evening after the lunar eclipse.

Arlene left early Thursday sadly missing out on the sledding fun with Lucy and Jasper!

Some highlights of their visit:

* Jaspers delight every time the coo coo clock chimed

* Lucy and Keith making "Snow Holes"

* Jasper & Lucy happily eating all their supper

* Lucy playing in the "ice rink" (the pool)

* April's Cauliflower soup

* Playing Memory with Lucy and April

* Puppies and kids playing and laughing together

* Wonderful massages from April

* Learning not to sled with eggs in your pocket (that was my lesson)

They left Saturday morning and we are missing them already!

Just cute

Cinder and Hank have become great friends. Their favorite sport is Wrestling!!

Hank is so good with Cinder; he is never to rough with her and is extremely tolerant!

The snow is melting!

We can see the bridge, and the river!

This photo gives the false impression that I had something to do with the clearing of the bridge. Trust me I did not. It was all Farmer Keith's hard work. I just wanted the photo to show that it is warming up, I don't have to wear as many layers, and this tool was nearby, and looked cool....so....

But I did gather the Cockle Doodle Doo Doo and Moo Doo (those are the piles in the back with snow on top that Cinder is investigating )and brought it down by sled to the green house. Keith did the rest, brought it inside and got the tables and racks ready for planting. I think we will be doing some planting this week!

The weather is changing, a little snow melts each day, then ices up in the morning, perfect for sledding or falling. The dogs love it because they can (and us too) walk on top of the snow in the morning (not so much in the evening, too mushy). We did get fresh snow fall this morning, only about 1/4 inch, then it turn to misty rain.

Spring is on it's way...only a couple months away....

Barack Obama

It's no secret to anyone who visits us at the Farm who we support for President.

We really like this video and wanted to share it with all of you.

Yes We Can - Barack Obama Music Video

Snow Woes

On Wednesday & Thursday we got another foot of snow!

This time the snow was wet!!

For the past week, Keith has spent his daylight hours shoveling snow.

Last night after a day in town, he went to check on the barn animals for me (I was tending to Cinder - more about that later) He noticed that a roof beam had cracked on the goat pen due to the heavy snow! He came back for a ladder and shovel and before cocktails or supper he started clearing the roof off. It was already dusk and 1 1/2 hours later, I got worried, it had been dark for some time - what if he fell off the roof and was stuck in the snow bank? - I went out to check and found him safe and just climbing off. He thinks we will have to put a center post up to secure the roof. (photos below)

Cinder spent all day Thursday at the vets getting "fixed". She came back drugged, tired, and tender.(photos below)

She threw up a few times during the evening,but today she is fine and more or less her old self.

No more snow today and it's warm - in the 40's- so it's a bit mushy out. Keith shovel more snow off the roof but that's all the shoveling he did today and hopefully all he will have to do for several days.

finally a photo where you can see Tuffy!

Project per Week

I've added a new web site to my list of places I visit - "Dress A Day". Check it out. I find it is amusing and informative, well imformative if you are begining to sew after 23 years of not sewing!

The site was also partly to blame for this segment titled "Project per Week". The other culprit is a new group I've joined - "Valley Girls" - we meet every Tuesday night and knit, sew, talk, drink (just a wee bit). One lady is 86 years old and is a wealth of information, not only in the craft topics but also in the Goat topic! Another lady is learning to knit, but is an expert at raising Beef Cattle. Another sells her felted purses in Seattle for $300 a pop.

From these weekly gatherings not only do I learn knitting concepts I gain such a wealth of Life Knowledge.

You may not be surpised that I want to impress them, so I'm trying to do one small knitting project per week so I can show them what I can do - pathetic I know - always wanting the attention-But for what ever the reason, I'm getting more done by having this "Tuesday" deadline. My idea is that I will post my projects as they get done....another imaginary "deadline" motivator.

Hope you enjoy.

This is a knitted jumper with crochet flower and trim.

For Keith's Cousin's daughter's baby!

and hopefully it will fit....

The booties were knitted by Roberta, fellow Women's Club Member and Valley Girl;

the candle holder was made by Don, our friend up river ;they all lay upon the table built by Paul, Arlene's brother!

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Another new event at the farm is "Tea Time". It falls before "Cocktail Hour" and replaces "Lunch" since "Breakfast" for us is more like "Brunch".

Our friend Kathy gave us Numi tea "flowers"which makes Tea Time special.

Accompaning the Tea is Bread, soup, and a small nibble of something sweet.

Wednesdays now is "Bread and Soup Making Day" and Fridays are "Something Sweet Making Day"

Lots of schedualing going on at the Farm - perhaps a New Year Resolution type thingy.