June is Bustin’ Out All Over

5 Replies

I started writing this a few days ago before being saddened by the recent act of mass murder, this time in Florida. John Donne wrote long ago “Any man’s death diminishes me because I am involved in mankind.” I see that of course as “any person’s”. Once again we are all diminished because an unstable person was able to obtain an assault weapon.

I find comfort in our increasingly violent and also materialistic world in living things that don’t know about and are not affected by these things. Animals are top of my list, both domesticated and wild. Plants are next. So, I continue to happily engage with animals and plants and put the rest of this world in the back of my head when I can. I come out of it refreshed and a little more ready to cope.

I am helped by the fact that June is really busting out all over.

yellow iris iris

I have always loved musicals and even ones I haven’t seen for years leave their songs in me. This blog title is a song from Carousel which was set in Maine making it even more endearing to me.

Our growing season isn’t all that long here in Massachusetts which doesn’t bother me because as much as I love to lose myself in gardening, I am ready for the change of season to fall when it comes.

more iris By the same token I appreciate the opportunity to grow things when spring arrives. The explosions of color do feed the soul. Most of the iris were already here except for the dark purple ones that were given by an iris expert friend.

Before we moved here I had only seen the house once. I told myself that I would plant a peony bush here because I had one at our other house and loved its old timey appeal. peonies

After we moved in I found there were already 10 peony bushes! lupine

I planted lupine last year because we were once lucky enough to have a house on Prince Edward Island and they were everywhere up there. This is their first year blooming.

I plant annuals too. I had just put these in so they weren’t acclimated but I was transfixed by their shadow on the shed wall. windowbox shadow

I couldn’t resist this cute little fairy. My over active imagination likes to think she flies around when I am not looking. In fact I am sure she does. Maybe she shape changes to one of the hummingbirds at our feeder sometimes. fairy

well Each year when I put a flower pot by the well I think about the first woman who lived here, Julia Ann Storey, in the 1830s. She must be shaking her head when she sees that I have the time and frivolity to use the well for decoration, not for lugging buckets and buckets of water from it each day as she likely did.

I have planted some tomatoes and plan to get the rest of our vegetables from a great Farmer’s Market a mile away. There are other plants here that will feed us, some eventually. This elderberry bush that our son put in for us was 24″ tall when he planted it. Six weeks later it is 38″ tall.

He and I also put in an herb spiral that will grow both in number of plants and spiral over time.

herb spiral

My sea kale is coming along. I don’t expect to eat much of it this year, maybe a little in the fall, because like many perennials it is around for permanence, not for quick growth. sea kale June

The chickens aren’t left out either. Of course they would rather eat their garden than admire it. I hope what I see as cuteness isn’t torture to them! The plants in their garden must truly be hardy New Englanders because the hose doesn’t reach this far so they don’t get watered as much and it gets a lot of shade. In here go plants I transplant from other parts of the yard and ones left over from the annuals. It is never the exactly same year to year. The three chickens watch my every move when I am working in it and comment to each other. chicken garden

June is busting out all over with the help of gifts from the past of peonies, iris, the old well, hen house and shed with window boxes, gifts from others of plants and time like the purple iris, elderberry bush and planting of elderberry and herb spiral, maybe the magic of a little fairy and as always watered by happy sweaty labor of the gardener, me.

There are even more plants with stories and I appreciate what each one brings to my life. I hope everyone who loves to garden is getting the same chance to enjoy it and that those who don’t can fully enjoy their own passions.

Little rose bush who flourishes despite not enough attention and too many bugs

May!

1 Reply

May is great month, second only to Autumn in my mind. It is a month of revitalization.Trees and perennial flowers are blooming. Gardening really gets going. This year for us it also includes being the lucky receivers of a permaculture plan for our property that our son is developing for a class. I find permaculture hard to define. It has many different levels to it but in a general sense it means working in harmony with nature while achieving resilience by using natural patterns. Because of his interest we have also been motivated to do some things we think about but haven’t seemed to get done. I have been inspired to finally start some perennial kale plants which is called Sea Kale. Once they are established they will come back every year. They fit into the permaculture model because they will come back over and over on their own and be a ready source of food. I am happy to see the new leaves growing.

A perennial kale called Sea Kale

Our son gave me an elderberry plant for Mother’s Day and planted it too.

Elderberry Bush May 1 2016

I like to measure dramatic things like the amount of snow during a big storm and found that when he put it in on May 1st it was 23″ tall. Today it was 28″ The reason it interests me to measure it is that it will get to be 10′ tall and 8′ wide . It is a resilient bush, won’t need help once it gets established and its berries can be eaten..

I grew up on the coast of Connecticut and for me there is nothing like water. I crave seeing it and luckily we are only 35 minutes away from towns on Buzzard’s Bay and another 10 from the Cape. But I want more of it in my life so I finally this May bought a small fountain after talking with our son about a water feature. I can hear it (right now) from a room in the house where we sit and read, and can hear it when I am working in the backyard. A silly little thing but I like it! The plant hadn’t started growing when we placed it there but it adds to the quirkiness of it.

Fountain

He gave his permaculture presentation of our plan last weekend in Portland Maine at the inspiring spot where he took this course and one before it. Back among old industrial buildings there is a revitalization going on that we see in many towns throughout New England in spots that have been or still are down on their luck. The setting for his workshop is in a place called the Resilience Hub. Next to it we found the Maine Library of Tools which we had to see. This is a place that lets out tools that people may need for a project but don’t want to or can’t afford to buy. Not only were there chain saws and the like but also things like large kitchen mixers. Such a good cooperative idea. I was gratified to see spinning wheels on their wish list! I didn’t expect to see that.

Since we were there we went to the waterside of course since I couldn’t leave without time there.I like to make water pictures big so I can really look into them.

Portland Maine wharf May 2016

Of course not a day goes by in any month that I don’t do fiber related activities. As part of our Eagle Lake Fibers tiny business we took a free two hour workshop on Legal Considerations for New Business Owners.

It was offered by another commendable organization based in MA called the Center for Women and Enterprise. They offer on-line classes as well as those that can be attended in person. Many have fees but a few are free as was this one. Lots of good information was provided. It was held in their Central Mass office in Westborough in an old -you guessed it- revitalized mill building. Lots of charm. As we were leaving we went down a hall and came upon: spinning wheel at mill

Spinning Wheel and Bobbin

I of course had to gently touch it and analyze missing pieces.

As far as creating goes this month, this is a table runner that I just wove on my rigid heddle loom using a cotton warp (the threads that go up and down) and my handwashed, handdyed hand combed and handspun yarn from Romney, Kerry Hill/Border Leicester and Cotswold sheep.Not in finished form here.

Handspun wool weft and commercial cotton warp

Gradient Spinning Batt

I have also been trying my hand at creating gradient batts which means the color of the fiber goes from light to darker. This one has rare Wendsleydale wool, alpaca and mohair in it and it is in our Eagle Lake Fibers Etsy shop.

Finally, a helpful retort found in a Portland coffee cafe and memorized:

Housekeeper for Chickens

8 Replies

Recently we completed the once a year task of cleaning out the hen house. It takes a few hours and I have learned to do everything except the bedding on the prior day so the whole thing is less overwhelming. We need to be home all day since I also scrub the concrete areas that were under the most dirty bedding and that takes time to dry.

We only have 3 chickens and get so many eggs from them that we don’t need more.

Our Buff Orpingtons

Caring for them takes just a few minutes each day so the only real work is their spring cleaning.

I come from a line of chicken farmers and even have the distinction of having an uncle in the Nebraska Poultry Hall of Fame. 🙂 I did not grow up with these people so they did not influence or teach me anything. Like spinning it just came from within. They were farmers and I am not. They probably rolled over in their graves when they saw the care these 3 get. When Lilac, Marigold and Daisy-Dandy (named by children on the street since historically we have called our pets Kitty and Bunny and are trying to reform) stop producing eggs I won’t eat them. They will live out their lives as pets. I don’t claim to have a farmer’s mindset.

Chicken Tetherball

A farmer does not occasionally set up activities to keep chickens from getting bored. This picture was taken before they reached their current size.

Like any cleaning it is tedious but there is satisfaction in the freshness that results. Another benefit of cleaning is that I get to see two dates written in concrete. We know their home is old and that previous owners were allowed to keep it closer to the property line than is usually allowed because they said it was “historic.” The inside has wide boards which are typical of older structures but we have never researched to find its age.Being a New Englander with a proclivity for history helps me to enjoy the time I spend in there because it is a connection to the past. Our house was built in the 1830s as was the barn/garage so this hen house may also be old. I love the doors.

Our Buff Orpington

Here are the dates. I wish the pictures were better. They aren’t old but we can see that the previous owner who was here for 60 years wrote October 1953. I put S + B 2014 when Steve added more concrete elsewhere.

October 1953 date in hen house floor

Our 2014 date in hen house floor

Since we have so many predators we can’t let them free range. I would love to see them out there on their own but they wouldn’t last long. So, Steve made what is called a “Chicken Tractor” so we can wheel them around the yard so they can forage safely. Talk about being spoiled. In this picture it is the part that is up against their outdoor run.

Hen house, run and chicken tractor with Lilac

After they started laying I gained a better understanding of the feeling that people speak of that we and the chickens are working together to provide food for us. Their manure is composted and helps our flowers and vegetables to grow but beyond that are the eggs that keep coming and coming. We give most away because we don’t need a dozen and a half a week. With their efforts we can bake at will and continually have a ready source of protein.

Courtesy of our chickens

All I know is that it feels very natural to me to be caring for them and enjoying them. For those who aren’t familiar with chickens, I can say that they are very amusing and have unique personalities. I know if I sit down with them that Lilac will jump on my knee and Daisy-Dandy will avoid being touched. I know Marigold will peck at my leg if she feels I am taking too long to get their treat out. Who wouldn’t be in a rush to eat dried mealworms and corn. They are very curious like me and carefully check out anything new in any of their enclosures. We know their many different vocalizations and what they mean just from being around them. Also like me they don’t like change or disruption. Earlier two were complaining because we have men doing work on our house that includes drilling. They got used to it. One day last winter they were putting up a ruckus so Steve looked out and saw them squawking at a deer in the yard.

Other than when remarking on affronts such as those, they are very peaceful. I feel peaceful just sitting here watching them out the window and writing about them. I have no complaints about being a housekeeper for chickens.

Fiber and Family Trip

2 Replies

Our trip to Colorado and Wyoming was full of fiber and family which is perfect in my mind. This is the trip that Steve masterminded after I told him last fall that I don’t need more “things” for gifts. I have more than enough stuff and would prefer experiences.

He got on the ball by looking in one of my Spin Off magazines and at Christmas proposed that we take a trip to Colorado and Wyoming as my gifts for 2016. The timing was centered around Interweave’s Yarn Fest in Loveland CO and our children joined us for parts of the trip.

The day he and I arrived we went first to Boulder so that I could visit Shuttles, Spindles and Skeins. I have always wanted to go there because it is run by Maggie Casey who is well known through her workshops and DVDs, and her partner. I knew it would have many spinning and weaving items as well as yarn and I wasn’t disappointed. After browsing extensively and finding a few treasures to take home I walked deeper into the second room, turned a corner and stopped with a small gasp when I saw:

Spinning wheels for classes at Shuttles Spindles & Skeins

These wheels are used for teaching in a huge classroom. I was among my own people. 🙂

The next day I took a day long class on Fiber Prep with Esther Rogers, another well know spinning teacher. I enjoy Fiber Prep as much as and maybe a tiny bit more than spinning. I knew that she would give tips on creative out of the box ways to use fiber prep tools and I wasn’t disappointed. I learned different ways to use the drum carder and blending board to create unique fibers to spin. One fun thing she did was to literally cram as much diverse fiber onto one little drum carder with long teeth as she could to produce art rolags. Art means the rolags will have many textures from different fibers and will be colorful. The yarn spun from them will have those characteristics too. It won’t be a smooth predictable yarn.

Filling the drum carder super full

Art rolags by Esther Rogers

One night we had dinner with cousins from Denver. We were able to meet my cousin’s young grandson for the first time and figured he would be my third cousin but our sons first cousin once removed following genealogy terms. All we will probably retain is that he’s a cousin. A very nice cousin.

Then on to Laramie Wyoming to visit another cousin (first 🙂 ) I was so lucky to be able to visit her in part because we share some family heirlooms. Our Burnham grandmother was a Nebraska farm wife during the depression and was a very talented quilter. We did not know her as she died in 1944. Here is Dell’s quilt: dell's quilt

Here is my quilt:

My quilt from my grandmother Burnham. The lighting isn’t so good.

I took individual pictures of many of the squares on Dell’s so I can find the common fabrics. Here is one of hers:

Quilt square from Dell’s quilt

Here is one of mine with the same flower material. Mine is more faded.

rose pattern like dells

She also gave me a bowl that had belonged to our grandmother. It says Western Stoneware Co. on the bottom and is quite heavy. I couldn’t resist getting some of my sourdough starter going in it the very day we returned home.

Grandmother Burnham’s bowl with my sourdough starter

Then, just to show how bizarre life can be, Dell took us to this monument:

Ames monument Laramie WY

Steve had told her that the shovels used to dig the original railroad were made in our town at the Ames Shovel Factory which is now condos. She said there was a monument to the 2 Ames brothers who we knew in addition to providing shovels were also in charge of completing the intercontinental railroad at the behest of President Lincoln. We had no idea the monument existed. Several town buildings including the high school and library in our town were named for the Ames family and their historic homes are now parks and we know their history well. So, we found ourselves sort of in the middle of nowhere (I say that fondly) looking at a picture of North Easton MA containing a building we recognized. ames plaque WY

My son Christopher, myself, and my cousin at Ames Monument in WY

At the end I was ready to get back to my cat and chickens. I missed seeing their little faces every day even though I knew they were being thoroughly spoiled by a neighbor.

We were blessed with a wonderful trip.

“I am going on a trip and I am taking…”

1 Reply

This post feels a bit like that childhood memory game we used to play as kids and with our own children where we add to a list of items we are taking on a trip and have to remember the ones other people said before us.

I think we used to say we were going to Africa for some reason but my trip is not so exotic but very exciting for me. I am going to Colorado to the Interweave Yarn Fest. I won’t be taking my spinning wheel because I don’t want to risk any damage to it or risk my being thrown off the plane if anyone pushed hard on it in the overhead compartment and I sought revenge. I am taking classes other than spinning.

I will be packing some dubious looking tools in my checked luggage.

These are just used on wool, honest

Should I have the confirmation of my class in hand if questioned when security screens my luggage?

I am very excited to be taking an all day workshop with Esther Rogers called Wild Fiber: Getting Creative with Your Fiber Prep. I love carding, combing and drum carding natural fibers maybe even a little more than I love spinning them so I am looking forward to learning new tricks with the tools I already have. I can’t take all my tools since some are too big, but she will have them there too.

When I go to Colorado I am taking my….. pointy dangerous fiber combs…

I am taking some snacks with me including some from my new favorite sourdough recipe. Any time you use the sourdough starter you have to feed it every twelve hours for a day or so to allow the yeast to revive from its hibernation in the refrigerator. Each time you feed it flour and water you have to remove all but four ounces of the rising starter. Sourdough baking is not for the faint of heart. There are many good recipes for this put aside starter and these crackers are one of those. They keep for a week. I added a few dried herbs to them.

My first batch of sourdough crackers

When I go to Colorado I am taking my pointy dangerous fiber combs and my sourdough crackers.

I also need a knitting project for the plane and waiting time to board. I am not an especially good sitter and I am really not good at sitting and keeping my hands still. I am thinking of making the second sock for this pair of cozy slipper socks that I am making out of rare sheep breed yarn that I have spun..

First sock of an unmatched pair made from rare sheep breed wool

When I go to Colorado I am taking my pointy dangerous fiber combs, my sourdough crackers and a sock to knit.

Also exciting will be my chance to visit cousins in Colorado and Wyoming. I have never been to Wyoming and am looking forward to venturing into Longmire territory. Anyone who hasn’t seen that series needs to watch it immediately and I will leave it at that. I can’t add anything I may be taking for them here because then YOU will know, Dell. 🙂

I am feeling some separation anxiety about being away from my cat and chickens but I know they will receive very good attention and care. I am also not an extrovert by any means but I feel no shyness whatsoever about going to this large gathering where I will know no one. Spinners, and other people who love working with fiber, and love fiber animals, have instant unspoken connections. It’s a given and really nice. I am sure other groups of people who share deep interests find the same thing at their events. We need as much of that as we can get in this world.

This trip came about because last fall I told my husband that I don’t need any more “stuff” for gifts. I said I would rather have experiences than things. That statement prompted this trip as Christmas, Mother’s Day and birthday presents. I knew something was up when he asked to read my latest Spin Off magazine, an event that never happened before or since. I didn’t know it was this trip!

Looking forward to reporting from the field!

The Land Breakers

9 Replies

Currently I am reading a book, The Land Breakers, by John Ehle. It was one of the book orders I placed with my family for Christmas and luckily they complied. 🙂 The book was published in 1964 and is a novel about the first white settlers in Appalachia set in 1779.

I was reading it the other day as I rode the bike at the gym. I came upon 2 lines on page 107 that caused me to stop breathing for a few seconds because they put into words something deep inside me that I have always known and could never find the words to explain.

I imagine most would read them here or in the book and leave scratching their heads about why this would be interesting. These words don’t describe a choice of feelings.They do describe an undeniable and good force that won’t leave some of us alone. We don’t even want it to.

“The family and the clearing and the crops and the stock and the tools were part of the same thing. The family and the place were the same thing and could not be separated one from the other.”

They describe something inside some of us since birth I think. A feeling of deep connection, working cooperatively with living things around us, that although we are part of the picture on our property, humans are not the whole picture. It is a wonderful feeling.

permaculture beginnings

Not my lamb but I enjoy them when I get the chance!

My little sweetheart helping me spin

I still can’t explain it. It does help to explain why one of my favorite things is to be home working on things, why I only want to travel if it means spending the bulk of time with family and friends, why even on those trips I have in the back of my mind the number of days until I can get back to New England and these things.

alpaca fiber I dyed and is drying in the backyard

A Cape Cod winter sunset

It just is.

Dyed with my marigolds

My sourdough concoctions

Project Day Final Report 3/4/16

2 Replies

Project Day sped by and sadly is over. I am happy with the results.

The bread is ready to go into the oven for dinner.

Sourdough Raisin Bread

The hemming has begun. Even with less than perfect beginning stitches.

hemming beginning

The spinning class has been prepared. Here are 2 of the new spinners bobbins from last week. I always love the first thing people make no matter what it is. There is so much life energy in these things. They are made with the hope that comes with a new experience, earnest effort, some frustration while learning a new skill, and this very organic item results. No, not evenly spun, yes, twisty- but it is a first effort and has that unique charm.

first spinning

The yarn was spun and the wool washed.

Wensleydale and yarn drying

Steve just put brought in chicken eggs from the coop and put them on the table as I was focused on writing. I didn’t notice them until- guess who did this.

cat and egg

Project Day Report #1

4 Replies

Here is my progress on my projects. I have been completing them while listening on youtube to a reading of The Secret Garden which I put on during long kitchen tasks. One of my favorites as a child and still is I guess. I started with Chapt. 19 and that is when the Yorkshire boy visits the bedbound boy bringing a lamb, a fox, and crow and some other bird. I have to admit I laughed out loud at the idea of those creatures going into a Downton Abbey type of mansion.

The yarn is spun and made into a 3 ply skein. Next it will be soaked in warm slightly soapy water to relax it and help the fibers to coalesce together a bit.We call it setting the twist. After it soaks for a half hour I will gently rinse it and then spin it in the clothes washer- no water, no agitation or it would felt-and then hang it to dry.

Finn/silk chain plyed for 3 ply yarn on its bobbin

Finn/silk chain plyed for 3 ply yarn on its bobbin

I bought this wool winder years ago on

Prince Edward Island and have enjoyed using it for the

purpose for which it was intended. Likely homemade,

square nails and lightly in pencil it says

“Mrs. Mary Mc” Wish I could see the whole last name.

3 oz Finn Silk yarn prior to soaking

It is cloudy today and I like to burn candles on damp cloudy days as can be seen in the skein picture.

She’s at it again: cat and yarn

The bread is rising! I added raisins and cinnamon

sourdough raisin bread rising

The wool is in its last soak. Not too exciting to see. Once I also spin it in the washer to be drier I will take a picture.

On to this afternoon’s project and tea and cookies. Will report when I am done.

Project Day

4 Replies

Today is a day of luxury for me. I don’t have to go anywhere at all. I have the time to do whatever I want. What do I choose to do when I get such a day? None of you who have read this blog will be surprised. I decided to celebrate by making it a fun project day. How many already started projects can I complete? If I add some new ones will they get done? I will list them now and check in at 1:00 and 5:00 at which time I will complete my completing projects day.

So, I know I am tempting the fates when I claim I will complete these things and so far the fates have:

caused the dishwasher to start pouring water into it rather than spraying and washing. I have stopped it and will deal with it later which means Steve will deal with it later. 🙂 Washing those dishes by hand after 5 today doesn’t bother me. Had it been the clothes washer that would have been different. I don’t want to scrub clothes on a washboard like Loretta Lynn’s mother. I will listen to many of her songs as I do these things. More on LL later.

2) suddenly only letting me enter items on this blog post from the top. hmmm. I will not be pushed off my path to fix it right now!

Pippi precariously trying to join in my every activity as usual. Yes, I pulled her off right away. No cats were harmed in the writing of this blog. This is material my friend gave me that was woven on historic looms in an old textile mill in Lowell MA. I want to use it as a table cover and don’t have a sewing machine so will hem it by hand. It has only sat around for 2 years waiting to be completed!

Only the bread and the wool washing have to be completed once I start and I am doing this for fun. No pressures or deadlines. Once I finish this post I will be off and running. I have 7 hours. Except for time to eat lunch and 45 minutes to put my feet up, eat some cookies and drink tea, and read. I am not driven enough to forgo caffeine and chocolate. Ever.

On my list are:

Alpaca and Bluefaced Leicester Locks whose fleeces I washed and dyed. I’d like to start spinning them today.

Get everything in order for the class we are teaching on Sunday including hoping this newly glued bobbin will cooperate.

Finish chain plying this Finn and silk yarn

Make this sourdough sponge into bread. I started it last night because I add no yeast and it needs more time to rise. It rises by using the yeast it collects from the air. Aren’t those bubbles great considering the magic?