Why is it that the older I get, it seems as if I’m always running out of time?
Speaking of time, did you know…it’s Daylight Saving Time NOT Daylight SavingS Time?
The idea of daylight saving was first conceived by Benjamin Franklin during his sojourn as an American delegate in Paris in 1784, in an essay, “An Economical Project.” At the age of 78, in a moment of whimsy and to amuse his friends, Benjamin Franklin wrote a discourse on the thrift of natural versus artificial lighting and the amount of oil used in relation to the quantity of light produced… after attending a demonstration of a new oil lamp the previous evening. Over two centuries later, nations around the world use a variation of his concept to conserve energy and more fully enjoy the benefits of daylight. Read more here http://www.webexhibits.org/daylightsaving/index.html So, remember, ‘Spring ahead’ and turn your clock ahead one hour this Saturday March 13 before you go to bed.
Well, it has been an incredibly busy weekend. I’m happy to report that all nine of my Shetland sheep were sheared this past Saturday. Normally, I have the girls sheared nearer to the first of April, but since one of my ewes (Hildy) is due to lamb sooner than much later, I thought it would be safest for her and the unborn lamb(s) to be sheared now. Normally, I like to shear the pregnant ewes at least 1-month before lambing if possible…and if you saw my ‘wooly beasties’ you would understand why. It’s easier to see what’s going on at the rear-end, bagging, etc. It’s also easier for the lambs to nurse and find their mom’s teat (instead of suckling on a wool tag). They look soooo NAKED without their wooly fleece! So for now, I have 9 bags of fleece to skirt, sort, wash, etc. I’ll ‘process’ much of it myself, but perhaps that’s a subject for another post: “How to skirt and wash your fleece.”
Three out of five of my ‘girls’ that I bred are definitely pregnant. ‘Snowy’ is too early to be showing any signs…and Tinkerbell??? Well, even though she was in the breeding pen (last year she didn’t get pregnant either), I think she just eats more than her fair share.
BTW, I still have to shear my Pygora wether ‘Brutus’; I’ll shear him on the stanchion when his fleece is just a bit longer, approx 3-inches.
The weather has been sunny and unusually warm-er (near 50 degrees F), so I’m glad my sheepies can adjust over the next few days. However, the down side of the warm-er weather comes boot suck’N muck season. YUK!!! I can hardly wait for the melting snow water to recede and the ‘greening’ of the earth to begin! YEAH!
Well, I’m also happy to report that we finished painting OUR bedroom. We all agreed (kids included) on a color, but when I opened the paint can lid…eewwwwwww! What is this…pea soup? This isn’t the paint chip we selected!!!!??? Katie was a bit more kind with her choice of words and described the new paint color as ‘green olives’. Why did I enlist hubby for an opinion…he’s color-blind!!! (Really!)
I have to admit, I was sceptical at first, but, now that the room is finished and the paint has DRIED, I’m kind of getting used to it. The ACE Hardware paint color is called ‘PRIMORDIAL’. Perhaps that should have been a clue? This is a color that looks different in natural light, artificial light, whether the sun is shining, the angle at which you’re standing…and so on. We have Shaker furniture (beautiful curly maple – ‘cherry’) and a few painted (blue over black) pieces and it kind of looks nice. Believe it or not?
I’ve been having fun scrubbing, buffing and polishing, RECYCLING collectibles and re-decorating! I purchased new bed pillows and haven’t had a good night’s sleep yet. I believe pillows are like an old pair of jeans…all broken in and comfortable!
Oh ya, my 21-year old Magic Chef stove OVEN went ‘kaput’ over the weekend! As far as I can tell, the bottom heating element blew out! I don’t know about replacement cost/repairs, but, I soooooooo want a NEW stove!!!! I was baking a batch of cookies for Matt ~~~~~ wouldn’t ya know it~~~~~Thank goodness Grandma’s just down the road! We took a look at a few GE electric stainless steel stoves with a glass top, etc. Yikes!!! $$$$$
Last, I’m happy to report, I finally finished another ‘little book’ I’ve been working on entitled “Felting and Needle Felting Tutorial”. YIPPI! It combines hints and how-to’s of both wet felting and needle felting. I’ll probably list it for sale in my ETSY shop.
Happy ~Middle of the Week Already~ Day!
Sheepy Hollow Farm 