Me in 2021

Has it really been seven years since I last blogged?

We survived COVID-19!  We masked, we sanitized and barely left the farm from March 2020 to May 2021.  It wasn't easy to handle the isolation but we survived. Nearly lost my sanity through zoom! It is good to have a support network - know what I mean? Our darling daughter has graduated high school and is nearly ready to graduate college with an under grad biology degree.  

Big Island

                       We took a trip to Hawaii.  

Frida Afghan 2016

Lizzie Sweater 2017

I won Sweepstakes and Grand Champion at the state fair twice with my needlework. 

Me and Dolly

 My gorgeous sister is a multi-entrepreneur, with many shops and even a toy store, McWhiggins Wonder Emporium in Madison, Indiana, multiple renovations and her current project is renovating a 1860's mansion.  My mom lives with her now which is convenient and revealing - I understand a lot more about my childhood. 

 

Luna and Gorgeous, Patriotic Sister

My niece manages the McW and she's a mom of two fabulous kids which makes my sister Geeg and me GAM (great aunt Melissa.)  Lizzie and I love crafting together and it makes her "sad" when we get disconnected. I feel the same way. Mickie is a coddler and a fighter. Kind of like that song - I'm a lover, I'm a fighter, I'm a midnight rider....better check those lyrics because I am known for my inaccuracy. (And I just did and I have most of the lyrics correct, just not even close to the right order.) Sorry Steve Miller Band.

Darling Daughter and Kevin, 2017 

Thistle Dew Farm is doing great - it's now twelve years old, complete with a horse, a flock of chickens and lots to keep the Hubby busy.

Lots of road trips happened with my sister, my friend - it has become our thing now. 

Trip 2017 was a fly and drive road trip to visit Baby Bryce in Texas. Our first cattle drive and it was fabulous.  My brother and his family took care of us in high Texas hospitality. 

Trip 2018 was Into the West.  From Louisville Kentucky across the mighty Mississip with a ride to the top of the St. Louis Arch, a cattle drive in Kansas (gorgeous sunsets), a mournful visit to Little Big Horn, hit a pawn shop in Billings, Montana and got outta town by sundown as advised.  Onward to Calgary, and ultimately Sunnynook, Canada to visit fam on the Solberg Ranch. We delivered a truck load of stuff to baby Lizzie and paid for our room and board by helping brand the calves. 

We hit Mt Rushmore and Rapid City (highly recommend) on our way back.

The 2019 road trip was named the Freedom Tour to celebrate my liberation from academia with a Master's Degree in Human Resources Talent Development traveling from Bern to Alliance, Ohio (troll house), to Somerset (Flight 93 crash site) ,Gettysburg, and Hersey PA, hitting Philadelphia to ring the liberty bell and visit Arch Street Friends Meeting before heading back to La Grange, Kentucky. 

2021 was the Super Tour starting with visiting our Super Aunt in Lexington Kentucky, headed across the state through Super President Abraham Lincoln country to Munfordville to see Kentucky Stonehenge (super awesome personal landscaping), to Horse Cave and Big Mike's (super) Rock Shop. Kentucky Down Under to pet kangaroos was the highlight of the trip. Then in Paducah we got a super accurate reading from Moonstina at the Wild Hair, and then on to our ultimate destination - Metropolis, Illinois. Haven't heard of it - that's ok.  

Now that you're all caught up with me, what's next?

Just received a box of fabulous cotton wool mix yarn from Brown Sheep.  Have a few projects in mind to test it out.  Now, to decide which color combinations......hmmmm.

Spring creating

It's almost spring, but just enough to make you want to do gardening you'll regret.  If you've been listening to the weather forecast you know that snow is on it's way again.  We've had more cold weather lately than all winter.  So that makes me happy to work with wool. Which is a good thing since I am getting ready for the Kentucky Fiber Festival.  Tayler will be exhibiting her fleeces and have plenty of wool/yarn for sale.

Here is what I am working on with her wool.

Love working this pattern which shows off the nice texture of this soft yarn.

Wooly Meadows Yarn - mmmm possibility!



A few days after shearing, last spring.

Aren’t these girls cuties?  Simply Baaaautiful!
They live and work at Wooly Meadows, Sulphur Kentucky.

Bulky weight yarn.

After a trip to the beauty salon,  ta da.....just look at what they have produced?  My beauty treatments never result in a by-product!  I am so excited to get my hands on this yarn and make something gorgeous.  A cuddly scarf, snuggly hat, or a warm sweater....hmmm, the dreamy imagery it invokes.   Speaking of dreamy, doesn't the yarn seem to be begging for dye?  How about blues and greens to mimic the bluegrass of Kentucky? Or the golden and copper colors of bourbon? Learning to dye wool is something I’ve always wanted to try, but let’s be honest – it intimidates me!  Not just the process, but I’m not sure I could actually make a decision on color….I just love color and texture, it mesmerizes me, and then paralyizes me and I can’t move forward because of all the decisions to make.... Well now I’ve got inspiration to step off the diving board and jump right in. The possibility and wonder of it all!

Here is the master of the flock, my fabulous niece Tayler, the best shepardess I know - there may be a little bit of partiality on my part.  Her flock happily resides at Wooly Meadows in Kentucky along the bourbon trail.  They are the happiest group of sheep I have ever seen, maybe there is bourbon in the water or perhaps it’s the love and attention from a girl who is obsessed with her flock?  The product from these girls is a fabulous quality yarn that is so snowy white even though it was spun in the grease.  I am very excited to get a hank, wash it up and dare I say dye a batch and start a project?

Here is Tayler a few years ago with my Mom preparing for the 4-H show season….champions all around!





 

In a quiet summer outdoor ceremony the ewes were married to this handsome gentleman - Nash.  Nash is a natural colored Columbia/Rambouillet breeding ram producing medium fine wool sheep and nice meat lambs.  She’ll keep a few ewe lambs with potential high quality fleeces to see how there hogget fleece turns out.  (Crazy name for the first shearing of a sheep - hogget!)  Since this is the finest fleece the sheep will ever produce, if it doesn’t meet Tayler’s expectations, she will not continue to process wool from that particular sheep. This girl is a stickler for quality. This year she showed fleeces at NAILE with great success – earning ribbons and accolades.  She even sold one fleece to a judging team!  

Corriedale ewe with crossbreed lamb

Here is one of the results the corriedale ewe pairing with the columbia/rambouillet ram netted. 

Back to the yarn story, Tayler selected four of the finest fleeces and off they went to the Ohio Valley Natural Fibers Woolen Mill for custom processing.  Little did we realize the amount of yarn this would make!  So, to market we go not to buy a fat pig as the old nursery rhyme goes, but to sell some fine yarn.  With four fleeces there is plenty of yarn for her to sell at The Fiber Event, in Greencastle Indiana.  We’ll be there with a booth on April 19-20^th, 2013. Come see us.  I'll post more about the yarn later....once I finish dreaming and decide what to do with it....

 

Spring - is that you?

Love Spring! Tulips are poking up their stems, the garlic is doing nicely. I'm making lots of fun things with crochet including a plant sweater I developed. originally it was Mother's Day gifts but I've been asked to provide them for a fabulous shop in LaGrange, Kentucky called 1887 The Corner Shop. They have asked for other handcrafted items so it's time to step up the crafting!

Crochet Crochet.....

I have been having a great fall crocheting this year....super inspired. Seems like hand crafting is back/still in vogue - yippee!

Here's what I've been working on.

And some of these,

Cupcake Marathon

Two of my favorite things - running and cupcakes. That's right, they don't seem to go together, but I have found a way to have my cake and eat it too. Running. If I want to eat, I have to run....that's just the plan hard truth.

So, Jason at Cook, Train, Eat, Race has a competition - giveaway. Run a marathon distance over two weeks and you could win great prizes. I have decided to donate a crochet cupcake - isn't it the cutest ever? Best part - fat free, gluten free, vegan.... and the wrapper comes off - cause you should never eat a cupcake with the wrapper still on!

Transformation

If you want to move to the next level in transforming your workout and your body composition - you have to enter this giveaway - or maybe just buy the darn thing outright....sounds very intriguing. Check out 26.2's blog for more info.

Headed out on a 5-10 mile run, I'll decide somewhere down the road exactly how far....

Cuties

These little guys are the cutest. I followed a blog that had a picture of the little bear - I bugged her enough to put the patterns on etsy. Let me tell you they are very labor intensive! I will dig out the pattern so I can give a shout out to the pattern maker!

That is a quarter next to the bunnies foot to show scale! They fit in the palm of your hand!

Here's what I did during the great snow in of 2011 - it lasted two days in Knoxville Tennessee!

Now is about the time I start dreaming of spring - how about you? Today I wore a celery green top to work because I am over black, brown and gray!

On my way to work, I went to the grocery store and bought three bags of greens - spinach, mixed greens, and cole slaw mix (which I use to make my salads crunchy.) I made the most delicious salad ever!

Yummy Think of Spring Salad

• handful of spinach greens
• handful of mixed greens
• two pinches of coleslaw veggies
• 1/4 of diced avocado
• 1/4 diced tomato
• 2 tbsp White Balsamic Vinegar Citrus Vinaigrette
• 1 sliced tofurkey spicy Italian sausage (mico'd for 30 seconds)
• pinch sunflower seeds

I was either really hungry or this was indeed the best salad ever!

Speaking of sunflowers - last summer our cool farmer neighbor planted an entire wheat field with sunflowers! It was the most amazing thing - people stopped to take pictures for the few weeks they were in bloom....you couldn't help but smile. It inspired me to paint this picture.

Because of him I now use sunflower oil to cook with. It has a mild interesting flavor - you should try it.

Between crocheting, painting and running I have been keeping out of trouble...sort of!

What's your focus this year?

So sorry friends, I have been so bad about keeping up my blog - but I shall try to do better.
Not much going on right now.

I have garlic patiently waiting in the ground - it grows a little with each warm day and then just waits for the next warm day.

I've been doing some water color - I've decided this year to make all my cards - especially thank you cards. I'm improving - even did a picture my husband thought worthy of framing...that's a pretty big compliment. They aren't worthy of selling, but you can tell what the subject matter is - always a big plus for me!

I've been kind of into amigurumi (little crocheted critters)....I guess I have lots of pictures to post. Hopefully I'll get that done this weekend.

Well this year is another year for running, gardening, and crafting for me.

What is your focus for this year?

Weird Huh?

I know it's been awhile since I've posted....crazy I know....but I've been on facebook and running and working and gardening.....blah blah blah....excuses but darn good ones.

Well today something strange happened and I feel the need to chronicle it for safe keeping.

I am a very spiritual person but not overly religious. I am by faith a member of the Society of Friends, or a Quaker. For those who don't know this is a christian religion that believes very strongly in the spirit of God. I don't do much apostatizing and hope that my actions speak louder than words.

Although I do believe in signs, I try to pay attention to them. If I do, I am often rewarded by seeing a direct link from the sign to a manifestation - small or large, religious or secular, monetary or simply an action. I don't always see a response but I don't necessarily think I missed it or I misinterpreted it, I think I might have to just wait longer.

Well today I received some work correspondence from a man named John. Very ordinary. He answered many questions and in the middle of his response he asked for a meeting with me at 3:30. Preparing my response I erased his response and posted a prepared email response. As I was reviewing the response I got to the end of the email and say in very large bold letters JOHN 3:30.

I must say, I immediately associated this with the Bible. I looked it up. The quote is He must become greater; I must become less. If you use the New InternationalVersion. Or He must increase, but I must decrease. If you're a King James fan. Either way, I am puzzled. I'm not sure what I'm to do with the message. I'm not sure if it pertains to how I view God or place him in my life. Perhaps we're talking about loosing weight, giving something away....not sure. What I do know, is I'm open to receiving more info about this process. It's a pretty broad statement for the universe to just through out there. It also took some doing for the universe to make it happen and the universe would know that I would see a higher power in the revelation. The words were not together but were buried in the email and items on all sides had to be erased leaving portions in the middle. So I am left with food for thought for the weekend.

The Princess on Vacation

The Princess hanging with her cousin at Rock Creek Horseshow.

Here's what her cousin did to earn the blue ribbon....notice the puff of dirt behind the pony. They are bookin'!

Horse Showing

Well this year I am focusing more on hanging out with my sister on the semi-local show circuit.

Here's a few pictures taken at the Cloverdale Indiana Arabian Horse Show last weekend:

This one is Ashley aka The Princess on Tiny Tina. They are a good pair. Still learning to trust each other, but coming right along. Tina is an Arabian. I remember my legs being so short they didn't go below the saddle flaps - Ashley is following right in her mothers footsteps!

This is Ashley and Tina with Grandma. My mom is way cool with her sun glasses on indoors! Isn't she pretty in pink?

This is what happens between classes:

Soon will be pictures of the garden - got the salsa garden planted and the spring garlic bed with Silver Rose. The garlic is already up four inches in two weeks. I was concerned that I may have planted it to late - we'll see how it forms up. Not sure what stops it's growing cycle heat or maturity. I hope it can stand a warm summer because I don't expect it to be mature until July/Aug. Last year it matured in June. Over at Clayhill we planted hardneck in the fall - they are doing nicely. My hardnecks I planted in La Tres Belle got their feet too wet and haven't produced. I also ordered Pioneer garlic but they didn't seem to survive the shipping here and are moldy - I'll ask for a replacement be shipped this summer for fall planting.

I am getting ready to plant my seeds from Survival Seeds. I'll update you on how those grow!

Happy Spring!

Survival Seeds

Well, the bug hit me....or fever, or whatever trigger causes the need to play in the dirt long before it's safe. I ordered from the Gurney seed catalog this week. My hubby has been concerned that I didn't plant enough garlic last fall (mainly because I waited too late to order the bulbs from the dealer I like.) So I just reconcile myself to make do with planting what I put aside for seed stock. Turns out, with an unlimited supply on hand we used way more garlic this fall/winter than ever before and my hubby has developed an addiction so severe he depleted our years supply of culinary garlic by January - with no fresh garlic until June/July we were very susceptible to vampires! I resorted to using the garlic in the decorator braids hung in my kitchen window. Not to fear, this was home grown garlic I braided. Thinking I had such a plentiful supply when I harvested the garlic last summer, I made a yarrow and garlic valance - the garlic is totally edible and organic, but I'd have liked to preserve my window treatments a few more months!

As we were preserving our salsa last fall, Ashley - AKA The Princess, recommended a salsa garden . We put up 12 jars of salsa and it was gone within six weeks. The child absolutely loves anything with vinegar in it and downed a pint of salsa in one setting. This left the extended family members highly disappointed because she ran through the entire stock of "Christmas salsa" in said six weeks. The salsa was intended as gifts to those who loved it the year before.

Back to the catalog order... I was looking for things I couldn't find locally. With The Princess's idea in mind and thinking this sounds like a great project for a mother-daughter duo I ordered some interesting tomatoes - my friends will not be surprised to note that I picked a variety called Flamingo's....they are an undersized plum tomato with raspberry pink interiors....It just sounded like to much fun to resist! They come as seeds which I don't generally have good luck growing tomatoes from seed, but for $2.45 it's worth the gamble.

Can't have salsa without onions - so I found an interesting variety of those also. Candy Apple Red's - supposedly eatable raw although I don't know why people do this - the plant makes you cry when you cut it - what makes you think you should eat it raw? Go figure....anyway, it looks pretty and if it is mild with a good flavor, will do nicely in the salsa. I generally saute my onions and garlic for the salsa and have had good results with the flavor.

To round out the salsa garden order I found some softneck garlic still in stock. So I ordered Pioneer Whites and Silver Reds....I hope they come soon so I can get them in the ground while it's still cool. With the softnecks I already planted and these, I should have enough to last through next winter and give some garlic braids as gifts. Maybe I can even replace my window treatment! If not, I'll double the order in the summer and hope I have help planting it all!

With those items added to the cart I decided I'd like some tomato plants - to get a jump on the season. I went out on a limb and ordered Black Krim heirloom cherry tomatoes. I've never had heirloom's before - I guess I felt they were to delicate for me to grow - I've got a limited budget - both financially and time - and I generally don't like to take a chance on something that's not going to produce. I thought I'd give through caution to the wind...

Before I log off, I wanted to share with you another site on seeds - Hometown Seeds they have a grouping of seeds called Survival Seeds. Hormone free and packaged to last for an extended period of time. Once you plant the seeds the resulting fruit produces seeds suitable to save for next years planting. Sounds very interesting to me - especially the hormone free aspect.

Although it is not very warm today - I have a need to prepare homes for the soon to arrive seeds and plants. This means raised bed preparation - I'm off to the rock pile to start hauling them up the hill for a bed near the house.....

ThistleDew Crochet Lessons

Hurray - the dream of starting a craft haven at Thistle Dew Farm is becoming a reality.

My good friend Wendy has requested the inaugural crochet session. I am so excited to share my craft! I'll post more when we have a date and materials list.

Here's some samples of my work over the last few years to give an idea of what we can aspire to.

Ending the year with Food!

This morning I thought - today is the day I'm going to tackle a recipe from Julia Childs.

I was inspired, as many were, by watching Julie Julia a few weeks ago. Not to mention that I volunteered to make beef stew for our New Years Eve dinner for the farm.

So why not give Beef Bourguignon a try? I must have been crazy. Have you actually ever looked at that recipe? Craziness I tell you! Sheer craziness. To spend that much time in prep work for something that doesn't involve chocolate or sugar - simply mind boggling!

So I decided to go Russian instead of French and try a recipe for Beef Stroganoff instead. I'll let you know how that works out.... Just in case I have already put on a crock pot of beef stew - hey you never know what might happen around Thistle Dew Farm.

But Julia kept niggling in the back of my mind. So I googled her and came upon this blog...http://www.bookstorepeople.com/2009/08/julie-julia-the-way-to-cook/ and after a little research I believe The Way to Cook is a better choice for me if I want to investigate Julia Childs methodology. My ultimate goal is to become a better cook....with Mastering the Art of French Cooking I fear I will waste a lot of money, time and get really frustrated.

Besides, I don't feel I've missed out on any of life's pleasures because I don't know how to de-bone a duck.

I also found this blog about the book Julie Powell wrote which in part inspired Julie Julia along with her blog - Corrodentia Weekly- she answers the question I had about Julie Powell in the movie - "why is this girl so whiny?" I guess she read the book (which I haven't) and got the answer - the screen writers must have really played down her whineyness from the book because she just marginally got on my nerves in the movie. My sister-in-law, the marvelous Terri says they toned down her language from the Julie Powell blog also.....which is a good thing. I haven't read that and not sure I want to - I don't like fowl language!!!!! Hee Hee, little cooking joke there....

Well wish me luck on this last project for 2009 - making a delicious Beef Stroganoff.....near enough to Beef Bourguignon for Thistle Dew.

May 2010 be full of crafting, gardening, and friendship for you and Thistle Dew.