Ewe's special!

Meet Cardigan - at six hours old she is sure she is the boss! First time mommy Button is doing a great job.
Her aunty Cowslip has been fascinated with Cardigan since she was born. Cowslip looks like she decided not to have lambs this year, so maybe she'll baby sit for all the new moms.
Penny and Basil also look like they aren't carrying lambs. With the move, I expected many more of them to be open. But it looks like we'll be starting our first year at Foxbriar with a good sized lamb crop. Wish Lena luck - she's gonna be full-time shepherding for the next few weeks.

Bright Blooming Berries!

We are so blessed in where (all the wheres!) and how we live - and I never cease to wonder at it. Ok, I want to write a bunch of silly words about divinity and nature and bliss - but who wants to read that stuff any way :-) So here's the good stuff - pictures!

These are the black berries. They won't be ready before we leave for Colorado next week. So we'll have to have Lena post pics when they are so that we can all drool over them!

The flowers are gorgeous, the edibles, like the chives in the picture at the bottom are bountiful and everything is so beautiful here in Fox.

We are still awaiting lambs and are going to add a hive body to each of the beehives tomorrow so the beesies will have room to build while we are gone.

We have hay to haul, a ram pen to build and so much more to do before heading west on Wednesday. The hay is a big worry. Everybody up here on the mountain cut yesterday. Will it be dry and baled by Monday or Tuesday, so we have enough time to get it hauled in? How long does it take hay to cure here? What are our options if it isn't ready?


Got an e-mail from Susan, she and Bruce are doing ok and her sense of humor has returned.

I don't know how much time I'll have to share - but I'll update when I can. Wish us luck on the road and send Lena bright thoughts and energy for dealing with the animals and the farm!

Homeland Security

Homeland Security on Foxbriar Farm

Muppet the guardian llama roams the entire farm and personal questions every visitor - human or animal!

Aniken, (the white german shepherd running with the sheep) keeps an eye on the sheep while they are out at pasture. When the sheep are locked up, he follows the chickens and keeps them safe.

We only have to listen to the news each day to see the world becoming a little more unbalanced. The government's stance has been to whittle away at personal freedoms trying to get control of the people.
But what can we, as individuals do, to heighten our illusion of security in this life?
Ok, I'm crossing belief systems here - but lets just go with the idea that people are happier and more productive when they feel secure. I want to think I am secure in my home (whether it is a camper, a truck, a castle or a pole barn), that my animals are safe, that my food is nourishing, that my family is comfortable and happy.
So what does the average person need to do to be safe and secure?

1. Learn constantly - learn how to grow your own food, take care of your own body, make your own power....

2. Take responsibility for yourself - It's your body, you know best what it needs - so do it! Eat right, exercise, stretch muscles, rest...

3. Grow your own healthy food - or if you can't grow your own, get to know your local producers. This means you can't eat bananas (do you know what the human and energy cost of a banana is?) , so what local foods give you the same nutrients that you enjoy from bananas? Find out...

4. Build your own shelter, make your own clothes, grown your own fuel... What does it take to be self sufficient? Research it and then try it, even on a tiny scale. Knit yourself a hat, crochet some slippers - you'll be amazed at how empowering it can be.

Boy, I sure got preachy just from watching Aniken and Muppet providing our own brand of Homeland Security here at Foxbriar Farm... sorry.... though those who know me, know these have been my soap boxes from most of my life. Sorry for the rant. I'll turn the soapbox over an go back to making soap

Mother hen lessons for Mother's Day

Last night the chickies decided they were grown up enough to go roost in the trees and not come back home. With trepidation, we let them. (Besides one of them was roosting about 12 feet up in a tree we couldn't climb!)

We do have foxes here. There is a gorgeous little gray one that I enjoy seeing regularly. But I don't want to feed my chickens to them.

This morning, bright and early, all the chickies were hard at work eating ticks and turning the bedding in the lambing pen. I guess for this Mother's Day I get to cut the apron strings and let my little chickies do their job.

I've always found chickens useful - but here at Foxbriar - I think they are vital. And I'm really getting to like the little guys.

So thanks, Mom, Summer and Julia! Some day we'll have a chicken castle and a whole renaissance chicken village. But for right now - I'm just going to enjoy watching the little tick eaters at work and quit being such a mother hen!

Sheep talk and ticks

"Family is very important to sheep."

Some people laugh at me when I say that, others accuse me of being anthropomorphic, most just nod their heads.

But it is true! And I'm not the only one who has noticed. I think most any shepherd will tell you the same thing. This phenomenon is noted enough that researchers have studied "visual recognition in sheep." They could have just asked a shepherd or gone and spent a year living with a flock of sheep.

I spend lots of time with my sheep and I watch how they behave and interact. the picture at the left is Marjoram, comforting her yearling daughter who just went through her first shearing. Button seemed very confused by being naked, she acted like she was just going to huddle under the tree and die of embarrassment - but with her mother's gentle coaxing, she was up grazing with the flock in about an hour. (Sometimes I even think I'm being anthropomorphic!)

I first noticed the strong family bonds when we began separating the first time ewes from the older ewes for lambing. This way we could keep a closer eye on the first timers and give them feed that they didn't have to fight for. After everybody had their lambs and all the sheep were doing well, we put the two flocks back together.
I watched Licorice greet her yearling daughter Ogre and the two of them sniffed and burbled over each other's new lambs. Marj's twin yearling daughters ran right to her and she let her new twins sniff their older sisters and as all 4 new lambs toddled around.

In the move to Foxbriar, several families of sheep moved together. Because we could not take the whole flock, several of the ewes moved to Arkansas without their mother's or daughter's. The sheep that moved here with their family seemed to settle in better, quiet down quicker and loose less weight.

But, as much as I have been worrying about the sheep's health, shearing them was enlightening. They are very healthy, the fleeces are strong, their parasite loads are way low, and they are fat (oops). They are due to start lambing this Tuesday - so I would rather have them on the little too heavy side than too thin.

The most interesting thing though, is, the sheep don't have ticks!

The ticks are terrible this year. The locals say they haven't ever seen them this bad. Some of the people who've moved here are wondering if they will let a little bug chase them off the mountain. We routinely pick between 6 and 20 off of each human every night, and that's not counting the ones we burn during the day. The goats are covered with them, I pulled more than a dozen out of one of Erie's armpits and 3 off of Beth's eyelids (YUCK). The dogs and the horses get their biweekly dose of One Spot and seem to do ok.

But the sheep - the sheep who have been on the farm for 6 weeks now, without any one checking them over for ticks - have about 20 dead ticks (and one live one on Coriander's ear) throughout the whole flock! I find more than that on one goat's udder at each milking!

Is it the wool? I'll check them over the next few days now that they are naked and see if they start picking up the little buggers. Until then, since even I can't imagine wearing wool in the summer in Arkansas, I am going to scatter the "trash wool", dung tags, ruffs, belly wool and some leg wool on the ground all around our camper, Midas.

Is it the lanolin? Maybe. The ticks that I did find on the sheep were dried, shriveled, mummified and covered in lanolin. If that's it, maybe I could make a lanolin tick repellent?

Is it the sheep smell? Sheep do have a distinct odor and they tend to sweat a lot, especially when they are nervous. Maybe ticks just don't find that appetizing?

Is it because we cleared the briar out of their pen and they don't wander the woods like the goats? Maybe, but I can get 6 ticks up my pants leg just walking from the camper to the barn and that is bare dirt anymore.

I'll let you know what I find with the ticks and sheep. Perhaps we can figure out a way to keep the bugs from winning!

Portals to friendship

I used to scoff at the idea of internet as community. I told our teens that virtual friends were not the same as real people. That was 4 or 5 years ago. Now, much of our human interaction happens over the web. I tend to use it as a communication tool with people I know, but even I have begun to meet people and make friends over the world wide web - and in a place that is not generally seen as a community.

As most of you know, the majority of our income comes from our eBay store. And while we have other venues and income streams, in many ways, eBay is my favorite. The interface is easy and intuitive. It tracks inventory well and organizes sales and shipping. It gives me a job to go to - and it integrates with our financial software.

Not to say that it is easy, mind you, I spend 6-8 hours a day on the computer keeping up with the listings and shipping. My camera gets the majority of its use taking product photos for our eBay store. (The farm gives us a beautiful venue to take those pics :-)

And the days I am at shows, I have to make up those hours spent away from the computer in longer days catching up with items the next week. (Especially this last week with the postal rate changes. I have not seen the farm in the daylight!)

We do lots of shows. This year we will be on the road 28 weeks. Most of our shows are marketing, connection and feedback events. We learn things from what interests the customers at the shows and people get a chance to meet us. Then we go back to the farm and make new products, and the people we visited with go to the web site and order the items that have stayed in their memories. In an interesting turn of the circle, this year, people who met us on the web are starting to come to our shows.

We also have an online storefront with our web site, a Half.com store and have had an Etsy store. Most of these are minor in terms of their business value. But lately, with changes eBay is going through, I thought it was time to consider other online venues. I am researching Amazon.com and other types of stores and have discovered that none of them offer the thing I love most about eBay - the chance to interact with customers and get to know people!

Just today, I visited with a triloom customer in Austria about her new loom, helped a lady in Philadelphia with her Spirit Bell, came up with a new weaving kit for a customer in Florida, designed a knitting needle holder for a repeat customer, directed a new weaver to the right weaving book and shipped 17 orders. The interaction with customers is what I love about eBay!

Now it is hard to quantify that in a business plan. And I could maybe spend less time at my computer if I didn't take the time to visit with customers. I could use software that automates most of the e-mail and feedback process on ebay, but I enjoy the creative energy that we share with people who take the time to inquire about us and the things we make. I think it makes our business better and I know it makes my day so much more fun!

So keep those messages and questions coming and know you are brightening my day! And for those of you who don't do eBay because it is impersonal - take the time to question sellers of items you are interested in - you may find a new friend who shares your passions!

Wet drops

The sheep don't get out too often, they tend to drift out to the neighbors pasture looking for grass. They are very much grazers. When I am out working at the farm I let them loose for an hour or two. The pic above is the sheeps in the meadow.
The goats on the other hand, rarely get locked up. They are happy to browse right around the barn and help clean out the underbrush that is close to home. They seem to fit better on Foxbriar as it is now.

I've been waiting for a bright sunny morning to take a picture of the bee houses. (And then I was going to photoshop a ribbon on them for Summer!) but it hasn't happened yet. So here is a quick preview pic of the bee hives in their little clearing. They are in the spot where we will eventually like to put our house. The hive door face east and they have a nice wind break from the ridge behind them.
The bees are loving the black berry blossoms. They are out thick right now. blackberries survived the frost and are only a few weeks late. The grape came back, too and is growing new leaves.


They say the Eskimos have 50 some odd words to describe snow - I think our vocabulary should have more words for rain.
Rain covers the basics - drops of water falling from the sky.
But then we have to add all kinds of adjectives - soft, gentle, driving, hard, heavy, cold, warm, blustery... and the list goes on. It would be nice to be able to let people know if it was a good rain or a bad rain with just one word.


Right now it is raining a good rain - soft, gentle warm rain, just the thing for the new baby plants in the garden, perfect for healing the last of the frost damage on the trees and delightful to curl up in a chair with a cuppa tea and read to... so I'm not going to kick myself too hard for not being out digging sheep pasture postholes at the moment. Besides, with the new Postal rate change coming on Monday, I have enough computer work to do to keep me in my chair until then. The rain is nice to walk in, though...

Shawn's current fascination is mushrooms. Oddly enough it is one that I don't really understand or share. Morels are delicious when you find them, and pretty distinctive - but I have no intention of experimenting with eating fungi! We do have lots of them though and are finding new varieties every day. These are probably Inky Caps... maybe.

A different kind of Festival

The weather couldn't have been better for our two days at the Baker Creek Spring Planting Festival. We had the perfect spot, both wind and traffic-wise.
Several people from Spindler's, Spinning and Sheep Thrills lists came out looking for us and we had wonderful, quick visits. I kept getting distracted by other visitors to the booth, so I don't think I finished any conversation! Thanks everyone for coming out and sharing hand spun skeins, blue bird houses and llama cria stories.

This festival was different from the others we attend, teach or vend at. Almost every time we explained what we were doing at Foxbriar - turning forest into farm while trying to work with Mother Nature; building a home, barn and fencing with our own 6 hands and available materials; fighting ticks - the response from people at Baker Creek was - make sure your grass is down before you pull stumps to keep erosion from making a mess of the creek; How long have your logs aged?; get rid of all the underbrush and leaf mould and lime the heck out of the place before the spring rains to help keep the ticks down... in other words - "Been there, done that, best of luck."

The advice, company and connections are impossible to put a value on. And the food was divine. If you ever have a chance to have green beans with cashews and red peppers cooked in a cast iron skillet over an open fire and served on a bed of wild rice - eat up! Dinner was one of the best meals ever.

The festival was very busy and quite crowded on Sunday. There were two stages playing live music, non-stop. We demonstrated spinning and triloom weaving and gave lots lessons to many people. One young woman, Heather, from the Nebraska Sandhills was a very determined learner. She and her husband are raising heritage fruit trees and seven children.

Now, at the beginning of the festival I had told Shawn, "No plants!" We don't have the room in the little garden that we have fenced off from the goats, we don't have time to plant any more and we are leaving for Colorado in two weeks. He reluctantly agreed, though it was hard on both of us. There many, many plant vendors there and they had wonderful rare herbs that I would love to have and fruits and vegis galore....

Shawn was off looking at books from the Back 40 Books booth when Heather came over to ask me if I would like to trade trees for a drop spindle and wool. So, in spite of my edict, we came home with a little Cox's Orange Pippin apple and an American Summer Pearmain apple. They are sitting in the wheel barrow, getting used to our climate and will likely have a temporary home in the little garden this year, moving to the orchard next year. My favorite apple that I have ever grown, and the Holy Grail of my orchard is the Arkansas Black. I grew one when we lived in Canon City and harvested two apples off of it before we moved. They were the best apples I've ever eaten.

So much, so fast, so many

Quick update, as I still have to finish packing and we want a bit of a nap before we leave for the Baker Creek Spring Planting Festival at 2:00 a.m.

As promised, here is Kermit, not quite a day old, looking stunningly handsome. His favorite place is at the breakfast bar and his mum dotes on him.

The beesies are doing great, busily gathering pollen from the blackberries, which are heavy with blooms in spite of the frost that left most of the leaves half brown. The forest is a funny mix of Spring/Fall.

I got the tomatos and Basil from Sage planted, along with the carrots. Most of the garden looks good. The strawberries and the lilacs are amazing! The Vitex bushes that I planted for the bees are taking off and growing fast.

We met another local resident. A gorgeous black snake was mousing next to the sheep pen. She had either recently eaten or was ready to lay eggs. I tried to make her feel welcome and invited her to stay. She was beautiful, and any critter who lives on mice is more than welcome to take up residence on Foxbriar.

Lena got a new puppy. Gaz is a joy, we'll have pics soon. She is a German Shepherd/Black Lab cross, 8-weeks-old, big and so smart. My dogs are having fits - they are so jealous. Don't read them any Garfield cartoons, they'll box Gaz up and send her to Abu Dabi.

There is so much more to tell, but I have to go find the sides to the merchant tent...
We'll let you know how Baker Creek was when we get back on Tuesday.

One quick note - for those of you who know Bruce and Susan, give them a call, and send healing energy, they need our thoughts and prayers now. Bright Blessings, Jen

Kermit - It's not easy be'in born

New born baby llamas are about the strangest looking creatures on the planet. Luckily they get cute really quick. Tomorrow I'll take some pics to show how gorgeous this new guy is!

It's not fair to the little guy to post his new born baby pictures, He was about 10-15 minutes old in this one. At this point he is soft and fluffy and he walks very well and looks quite elegant - but -

Meet Kermit!

He was born this afternoon about 1:30. He is the first cria born on Foxbriar Farm.
Of course, his mommy, Rosemary is taking excellent care of him. His older brother, Muppet, is jealous and his older sister, Pequena, is curious.
The sheep all had to come up and greet the new little guy. Like his brother, he is black and white, too much Jacob sheep influence?
Lots of other new stuff, but it's midnight and I think I hear my coach turning into a pumkin!

Shearing and musing

We've started shearing!
This is Snowy, showing off her pouf. I like to shear on the stand. I feel it is easier on me and easier on the sheep than the more traditional "sit them on their butt and bend over them" method. Of course, it is no where near as fast. I am lucky to do 6 sheep in a day, even with the electric clippers, and this year I am using scissors. My dad built me a wonderful shearing table. It is currently a wonderful packing table and as soon as I have a building to shear in, I'll take it out to the farm to use the shear the sheep.

We are shearing late this year. Normally we shear in March and lamb in April. With the move though, I thought the sheep would be less stressed moving in fleece. And I didn't want to move heavily pregnant sheep. So we bred very late and planned on shearing in April and lambing in May.


I was very glad I had not sheared when we had a deep freeze here in Arkansas the second week in April. The sheep all stayed comfortable in their wooly coats.
The fleeces I have sheared so far are very nice. Silky, with a nice sheen and strong fibers, no stress breaks. I was worried, with the move. I'm going to shear everyone, and then skirt and bag fleeces. People who have sheep shares should get their fleece by the end of May. We have really cut back the flock, so I don't know if we'll have any fleeces for sale, but if we do, they be in our Common Threads ebay store by the end of May.

While I was shearing this afternoon, Shawn was nearby working on building a chicken tractor, so we can move the chicks out to the farm. We really need to get them out there and working on the tick population!
We were conversing off and on - planning and musing. I started shearing over Cakes' hip as Shawn pounded nails into the slab wood brace he had just cut with the hand saw.
"Do links still help with Search Engine Optimization?" I asked. He replied that my blog was indexed by Google and that wasn't a problem. We went on to discuss Keywords and other ways to improve the rankings of the store and website.
I realized this had to be about the funniest combination of conversation and work currently happening on the planet - and it is nothing unusual at all around here!

Viewing from different points

Many, many years ago, I responded somewhat flippantly to a woman who asked me how to keep her goats from jumping on her car.
"Don't park the car in the goat pen," was my dismissive reply.

I'm paying for it now! The picture is of Constance dancing on the windshield of Midas.
The goats are an important part of our land clearing effort at Foxbriar. Cat briar (part of the origin of the name), bull briar and wild rose make most of the mountain an impassable mess. We've had sheep get so tangled their feet were off the ground and we had to use a saw on the vines to get them loose. The black berries thickets promise delicious delights - but about 4 acres are so thick with them that only moles can get through. The goats eat all these thorny invaders and are thriving on them.

But that means the goats are running loose on the farm. Anything we don't want them climbing on, eating or strewing about as they curiously try to figure out what it is, has to be fenced off. Well fenced off! But I figure it is good training, they are teaching us how to keep gardens and orchards safe from the deer, rabbits and coons.
Now, about that question - How do you keep goats from jumping on your car? Well, if you look at it from a different view point - build a car corral that is goat tight. Hmm, if that exists - see picture above!

Today the internet and e-mail groups are great places to go to find information and ask for advice. Many people are willing to share what they know and most do it in a manner that shows they are just offering to help from their point of view. IMHO (in my humble opinion) is used and implied in many posts. Other people are adamant that you should do it their way or you are wrong.

We just moved from a place where there were lots of veterinarians. Most of them didn't like working with sheep and goats, but I had a few that were wonderful with all my animals. I had moved there from a place where you could not get a vet to come to the farm, period, and it was almost 200 miles to take your animals to a vet. We've been calling the vets in and around Mountain View since before we decided to move here, and we've found a few that will work with us - but it was apparent before we made the move that we would have to go back to being responsible for the majority of our animal's health care.

So we've asked for advice on the groups and internet boards. I've never raised sheep in this climate. Parasites and imbalances are very different. Southeastern Colorado is an area where Selenium is present in toxic levels, animals become very ill from the amounts that are present in the hay and in the ground. Here in the Ozarks, you have to supplement selenium in the animals feed. This difference I know about and understand. But what else is there out there that I need to learn?

So, I ask questions and research. The people that we have met up here on the mountain are friendly and have been more than willing to answer my somewhat silly sounding questions. And many wonderful people have had great advice in internet groups. But there are a few who insist their way is the only way - so you smile, nod, say thank you and realize the point from which they are viewing is not the same as yours.

This was obvious last week, when talking with Mona, who moved up here a few years ago from Florida. "It's so arid here and the soil has so much clay," she said while walking through her verdant pasture.
Shawn and I looked at each other. We had just been talking about how delightfully lush and wet it is here, and the soil was so nice and sandy that it drains well, unlike the slick clay of Colorado!
Viewing the world from different points.

Right hook

As a lifelong crochet artist, I know what type of hooks I like. I often spend many hours a day crocheting and I want a hook that feels good in my hands and makes my work easier. When Shawn started carving crochet hooks, we worked together to create hooks that are easy to use, match guage and feel good. Yep, I'm spoiled!

He is a talented artist, so his hooks are beautiful to look at - but more importantly to me, they work well.

Lately, between the store and classes, we have been working with many people who want to crochet, but are having trouble with their hands, wrists or elbows. Shawn created his square hooks to help people who are experiencing pain when they crochet. The square shape sits easily in their hands allowing their fingers to relax around the hook. It seems to help many people continue crocheting.

As word gets around about Shawn's Laffing Horse crochet hooks, people are asking him to carve bigger hooks (up to P like the one in the pictures now), longer hooks (22 inch!) and hooks to solve problems. He is now working on an afghan hook in the larger sizes that will help eliminate thumb joint pain. We are trying making one side flat, so that no matter how you hold your hook, you thumb has a resting spot. I'll let you know how it works.

This search for the right hook or the most comfortable to crochet has led me to consider how people hold their hooks and other factors that go into the process of crocheting. My grandmother taught me to crochet. I've been crocheting close to 40 years now and my hands and wrists don't bother me from crocheting. (They do give me some trouble with heavy lifting, a legacy from my days as a mail carrier!) Part of that is because I crochet loosely, with a light tension. That helps keep my hands and arms relaxed. But I also think the open-handed, under-palm way I hold my hook helps make crocheting easier.

I was trying to explain that to someone who has been having trouble with finger pain when crocheting. It can be quite a challenge to help someone with a craft over the phone. So I thought I'd try posting pictures. Boy, this is an awful long caption for some photographs!

The bees ate my pottery wheel

"The bees ate my pottery wheel" - that was the subject line of the e-mail that I read first yesterday morning. And it continued to be the subject of my thoughts as I dug up another raised bed in the garden this morning.

I could have been digging fence post holes for sheep fence, (CJ, left, born Easter morning is one of the 23 reasons for sheep fence) or gathering rock for the foundation on the garden cottage, or burning brush to get rid of the ticks, or clearing scrub from the area we want to make into pasture, or any one of an almost endless list of things that all seem to need to be done, Now!
But I had decided to dig the bed for the carrots - so, the carrots ate my garden cottage!

To back track a little -
Because I am writing this blog, it is about me and my perceptions. But I am not doing this homestead thing alone. Not only are Shawn and Lena here throwing balls in this juggling act we call Foxbriar Farm, there are many, many people working on this project.

Our dear friends, Robin and Summer, actually own the land that is Foxbriar and have collected much of the human community that is attached to it. They are also funding much of the infrastructure.

Summer wrote the quote above. Yesterday was her birthday. We have been e-mailing back and forth, worrying about Colony Collapse Disorder and wondering what we could do and how it will affect our farming aspirations. Shawn had contacted a "bee guy" in northwestern Arkansas about getting bees. Researchers cite cell phones, GMO crops and a fungus as possible causes of the bee die-off. We don't have anybody raising crops up here on Fox mountain, cell phones don't work up here... and fungus, well it grows great, in all forms, but hopefully local bees who are not being trucked about the country would be immune. And the forests here at Foxbriar are starting to bloom with bee food - like the honey suckle belo

We thought we could get bees and they should be safe here. But bees are expensive - and you need hives and supers and a smoker and other bee gear.

So, Summer (and Robin!) offered the funds to cover Beeing at Foxbriar. We are going to pick up the little buzzers on Sunday and we are researching everything we can find on bees right now, during breaks from carving, weaving, crocheting, felting and packing orders.
But Summer's e-mail pointed out the trade-offs that we are all making, and that everyone makes in their daily lives. She could have had her long-desired pottery wheel for her birthday. She's wanted it for .... well... I really hate figuring out that the years are moving faster... let's just say a very long time.

Instead, we are all going together and getting bees. I hope they thrive and grow and give all of us many years of pollination and honey and bees wax. Thanks Summer!

There are many others helping with this adventure. My parents have provided support way beyond filling up the truck with diesel (and that costs a mint!); getting us baby chickies; and spending a week of their busy schedule out here slashing through catbriar and wild rose bushes and Icky, Icky Ticks to help us get horse fence up. Shawn's folks have helped out whenever we asked, and even when we didn't!

Our wonderful customers have helped by being patient when orders are a bit delayed because we are trying to get a barn up - and by their continued loyalty in purchasing from us while things are a wee bit chaotic. This enterprise seems to bring out the most wonderful people. We have had customers e-mail and offer housing for the sheep. Others opened their homes to us as we were moving. Many people who started out as customers and business associates have become dear friends.

And as we get rolling other people are chipping in, with offers of pasture, money for motar for the garden cottage and many other things. I am terrible at remembering to say "Thank You,"
but I do appreciate everyone and their help. If I start listing off people, I will inevitably leave out the most important ones and feel guilty forever more (I'm still sorry Lisa!), so, here and now I'll just say thank you. And get back to work...

Back to juggling resources - Summer's bees ate her pottery wheel, Sheep fence may just eat the chicken house....
Only 24 hours in a day - right now I have 23 orders to ship - then - do I plant in the garden, cut cordwood for the cottage, build fence for the sheep, do book work for the business, make stock for the store, do marketing for the shop.....

And then there's a gift or investment of money from a friend for the farm. Do we buy fence for the sheep, motar for the cottage, perhaps some windows, grown-up chickens to eat ticks, grass seed to plant some pasture or herbs for the bee garden or....

Your comments, suggestions, energy, wishes, prayers and thoughts are always welcome. Send an e-mail - or come dig fence post holes!

Fantasy meets reality

I am often asked the question, "Don't you wish you lived back then?" or "Don't you feel like you were born 200 years too late?"
My answer for these is easy - "No."
I love our life both homesteading and re-enacting at Renaissance Festivals and Folk Fairs. And we could not do any of it without automobiles and the internet!
We would not be homesteading in Fox right now if we had to get to a town via horse or foot - it takes 40 minutes by car. We could not have even gotten here without our major-mondo Dodge diesel pickup truck to haul everything.
And we really could not do both the festivals and the farming in any time other than the present. Our vehicles allow us to be in Louisiana one day and Oklahoma the next. Cell phones allow us to manage the farm, office and shop while traveling. Wifi lets us keep in touch with customers and track orders.
And, we could not make our living without the miracle of the World Wide Web. (Also we would be terribly bored without our music, news and research ability that the internet provides - and how would we identify those plants!) More than half our income comes in between our web store and our ebay store. While in days of yore we might not have needed this income, in days of now, we do. In some ways it is a vicious circle and we are working on ways to simplify things - but accepting some modern miracles will help us get to the point where we don't need as many modern miracles.
We got electricity at the farm today. It was sweet to be able to run the 14-inch electric chain saw. That saw weighs half what the gas one does. We now have a refrigerator for the first time in two months - and I'm almost not sure what to do with it! And lights that come on at the flick of a switch, instead of at the flick of a Bic... well, at the price of lamp oil, the electrics are cheaper.
Being on the grid with city water and city electricity will help us move toward our plan of being off the grid much sooner.
Life is much more fun when fantasy and reality are able to walk hand-in-hand.

Listening to the weather

This morning I knew it was going to be a bright sunny day, even before I opened my eyes. It was early when I woke up, the sun wasn't up yet, though the light was beginning to show. I think the birds woke me up. Lots of birds, many different types of sounds, calls, chirps, cries and whistles. It was a wild morning symphony!

The last several mornings it has been cold and raining. The only sounds to greet my awakening were the horses stamping in the barn (it makes kind of a low drumming noise up here on the mountain) and the song of the cardinal. He sings every morning, silly bird, in the dogwood tree right outside of Midas' door.

And every morning, Shawn rolls over to me and says, "Would you please hit the snooze button on that bird."

But this morning, even before the light, the morning was happy, active and full of song.

I noticed the sound of the change in the weather again tonight. The sound of things warming up!

As we were working on dinner and settling in to the workshop after a busy day at the farm, I heard the frog chirrups. It has been so cold this last week, the frogs were burrowed in and hibernating. I hadn't missed their evening chorus, but I really enjoyed hearing it again! Tonight, it is warm and they are back in full voice.

Maybe Spring has returned?!

---------------------------

Did you ever read "My Side of the Mountain" by Jean Craighead George? It is a book for older kids. I read it once or twice in elementary school, I think, and I have never forgotten it. That book, and my memories of it have shaped much of my life. I haven't re-read it, but I have been thinking of it a lot lately. Perhaps I'll check it out when I go in to town to the library tomorrow. Maybe there is something in there I need to read?

Back to.... On to.... ?

Fria, Lena's 24-year-old Arabian mare loves her new paddock and all the greenery here in Arkansas.
_______________

Well, we are all here, people and animals at least - there is still some stuff to move. And, I started to say back to Normal - but in our lives that's a little town outside of Huntsville, Alabama and about 900 miles from here. I hope to get back there to visit some day. I also want to go to Options, Louisiana and probably will this fall. I'm looking forward to exploring Options.

We spent last weekend winding our way through delightful little towns such as PeeDee, Bee Branch, Flippin and many others on our way to and from the Baker Creek Heritage Days Festival. I found myself wondering how many people pick the town they live in by the name? Do people decide to live in Three Brothers just because the name pleases them? How do people decide where they live? Do they?

I know I love the name of our new town - Fox, in part because it is short, easy to write and everyone can pronounce it. It is also unusual, though probably Carr, Colorado trumps Fox on the strange-name-meter of places I've lived. This picture is of Shawn walking back to our store from the Post Office in Fox. It is now really easy to get orders shipped - the Post office is next door!

I've been away from my blog for a while for several reasons. I was without internet for two weeks while I was in Colorado getting the farm ready for the auction. The auction was brutal. That is the only word that really covers it. It is a quick, efficient way to wipe out much of your past and the baggage associated with it. Of course, so is a house fire, but people don't die in auctions... just dreams.

I had the help and support of so many friends and family in getting things sorted, pulled out of corners, cleaned, organized and packed. My mom worked with me most of the two weeks and my dad spent several days on the farm doing hard, manual labor. Wonderful friends came down from Denver and cleaned my house while I was off teaching a weaving class. Many other friends showed up the day before and during the auction and others friends came to haul things away afterward. I couldn't have done it without you all - and I mean that, no matter how cliche'd it sounds. I can't tell you all how much I needed you and how much I appreciate your help.

That is part of why I've been away from writing here, too. This move, while planned, blessed, guided, gifted and wonderful in so many ways, is also a ripping change. Generally, I write from the heart. Lately, that has been a little too raw to splash on the internet.

But we are getting back on to familiar ground with a routine developing, the animals adapting and the store... well, it sure needs a boost right now, but now that I am not driving back and forth across the country, I have the time to devote to it. To this end, we are offering free shipping on store purchases through the month of April to anyone who reads this post and sends me an ebay message requesting it.

There is a comfort in routine. Farm chores are getting easier as we get more fencing built and paths cleared. Lena has single-handedly cleared most of the catbriar off the barn meadow.
I try to do chores in the morning and then get to the store by 8:00. Shawn and I work there until somewhere between 2 and 4, take a break for lunch and then go work on the farm, fencing, shearing, hoof trimming, brush clearing, post hole digging... and on.
Lena works on the farm all day and usually has a pile of stuff ready that she needs an extra hand with. We have all been working together on the farm until dark, coming back to the store for a quick dinner and to finish up making stock or answering queries and then off to bed by 11:00 or so.

We are currently fencing the power-line road to make a pasture for the horses. Then the sheep will have the horses' current paddock. Homer (yes, he's doing great and really appreciates his hair cut - thanks Mom and Julia!) (He's the black sheep in the middle, for those of you who don't know and love Homer - and if you know him, you love him!), the llamas and the whole goat herd were helping us clear brush and string fence yesterday.

I'll try to keep everybody more up-to-date now - but it's Saturday and there is fence to string...

Family words

Does your family have special words that come out of your common experience and mean something only to the members of your family?

Years ago, my son was wrestling with the pronunciation of the big vehicle on the road behind us (when he was much, much younger!). I told him the word was written backwards. He gave it a try. Now they are all "Ambliance"'s to our family.

Working on the barn this week, I have had the worst time remembering the word, "level", I keep wanting to call it a ladle, but I know that's not right. So, it has become the "L-thing that is not a ladle" or "Elthing". So, if you come to help us with the barn and we ask you to hand us the elthing, you know what it is.

And speaking of level - all the books and articles we read on building talk about the importance of plumb, straight and level. My current favorite book of the pole building genre is Low Cost Pole Building Construction, by Ralph Wolfe.

Now, we have several levels in our toolbox - a corner level for fence posts, a little level for the cleats, a big red 2-foot level for beams, and we use them. We use a plumb bob to true our posts. We line up the holes with string. And still, the barn has, umm, shall we say, "character"!

I was standing back and looking at the barn this morning as I was nailing on the lathe strips to put the siding on and I realized - we are working with wood. Wood is a live substance with its own personality and character.

Have you ever seen a truly straight board?

If you can't answer this question - go to a hardware store and look in their stock of finished lumber. You will find all kinds of interesting bows, bends and twists. And that is in supposedly finished, smooth boards that are ready to fit into a nice, square and level house.

Now, I know those guys who wrote all the books we are following have done the work and have used real wood - so why don't they clue you in that "Level, straight and plumb" are concepts to aim toward, not something that really happens in the real world!

We are using rough cut lumber in this barn. I know that is part of the challenge. On the ground and in a pile it looks good and even. And I promise that I can find a spot on each post and rafter that is level. Probably more than one spot. And I think that all of these individual pieces of interesting wood are coming together into a strong, happy, unique barn. Certainly unique...

As we were wrapping up this evening, Shawn found a nice heavy hammer for me. We hadn't been able to figure out where they were packed. I was really, honestly thrilled to see it. Having two real, solid hammers will make tomorrow's work go so much faster. My brain got excited.

Give a girl a hammer....
Give a mouse a cookie....
Give a fish a donut.... huh?

Obviously, it is time for bed....

Knowing and learning

Both Shawn and I are blessed to be bright, curious people who see something that we are interested in - and jump right in and do it.

We research our fascinations, with books, web searches and hands-on trial-and-error. Some things we try and decide they aren't for us. Some things we loose interest in quickly. But many skills and bits of knowledge are added to our repertoires and day-to-day living. We rarely run into something that we cannot do...
And often we do things that amaze people - just because we didn't know we couldn't do them (like building a deck and Renaissance booth in Louisiana in 36 hours).

Sometimes though, we start on a project and a direction and discover that it really isn't going to work. Sometimes we are stubborn enough to beat ourselves against it until it either fails totally, or gives up and works in spite of reality. We started on this barn three days ago. Money is tight right now and I wanted to use all found lumber from the slab heap at our local lumber yard.

We spent all yesterday framing the roof with scrap. It seemed flimsy, but how strong does a roof have to be? My intuition told me that it need to be a lot stronger than this one was. I was worried, but...

Shawn woke up sore and out of sorts. I finally got him to tell me what was bothering him.
"I know you want to build this barn without spending money," he grudgingly began. "But we really need 2X4's."

"I know," I agreed. "That roof is way too weak."

It took longer for us to admit to each other that our plan wasn't working the way we had wanted it to than it did to go find the local saw mill owner at the general store, negotiate a price on 2X4's, go pick up another load of slab and the 2X4's and rip all of yesterday's work off the top of the poles.

That was the scary part. It didn't take 15 minutes to rip the flimsy roof frame down. It had taken us an entire day (almost) to nail it up and obviously, the first big wind would have ripped it right off. This is a picture of yesterday's roof frame, off the barn. And below, the new roof frame, going up.

We got to work quickly, putting up girts, rafters and purlins in short order, after felling all the dead trees that could reach the barn when they fell. None of them did, but we didn't want to chance that they would, after we had the barn built!

I say we, but Shawn did all the hammering. I felt somewhat useless, holding the cattle panel ladder, handing up nails and tools and fetching roofing, but he could not have worked so fast without the ground support I was providing.

Just at dark, we got the last sheet of tin that we had nailed in. I have to go to town tomorrow and I'll get 6 more sheets of tin.

The barn is really coming along, it looks good and strong and we are learning - about barn building and communicating!

Do it!

So many thoughts for today. Hard, physical labor, like building a barn, is a good time to let your brain go wander. Sometimes it takes a while for it to find its way back, though!

We got a lot further on the barn today than this photo shows, but my camera decided that it was much more fun to eat batteries than to take pictures.

One of the trails my brain followed as I was hauling panels was the "You're living my dream" comment that we get from so many people. That part of what this blog is for, so that you can enjoy our foolishness vicariously. However, don't just limit yourself to reading about it, get out and do some of it!

I don't mean jump out of the mainstream with both feet, like we seem to be doing, but just take a little time now and then to physically touch the stuff of your dreams.

Several people have told me that is not an option for them. One person recently e-mailed that she is disabled and lives in an apartment in New York City. She is one of the reasons that I am being more diligent in writing these updates. But, even in that situation, there is container gardening. Most of the extension services have wonderful information on how to grow herbs and vegetables in pots in your house.

If you can get out in your community, look for a local CSA or Community Supported Agriculture farm. These are local farms where you can join in and purchase a membership. You get to work on the farm and receive a share of the produce. Each farm is different. If you don't find a farm in your zip code at the link above, try a Google search for a CSA in your area.

If you have a weekend or longer bit of time that you would like to spend exploring the reality of your dreams, check out World wide opportunities on organic farms. Again, each farm is different, so look over their directory and find one that seems to fit what you are interested in learning.

Get to know your local farmers. You can find them through your local extension office, by going to the farmer's market or by doing a web search for farms in your zip code. Many farms are too busy to have people visit, but some farmers may welcome the offer of help with fence mending or ditch cleaning.

One resource for hooking up with local farmers who would welcome your help is Slow Food, USA. This group focuses on community farming and food sources.

I know there are many other resources out there, these are just a few that I know. Hopefully they will give you some ideas so that you can go from dreaming to - Do it!

Modern convenience

First off, friends and family - if you recognize yourself in a story, a post or a conversation, please don't be offended. If you have questions about what I wrote, send me an e-mail and I will try to explain what I said!

Last fall, we were visiting Shawn's folks. I was helping Sherri clean up after dinner and we were having a nice chat. "What's your favorite modern convenience?" she asked.

I really didn't have to think too long.
While some parts of indoor plumbing still seem wrong to me - I love having hot running water in the house.
Showers - those indoor warm waterfalls - are pure bliss.
Being able to wash the dishes in a sink, with hot water right there, not heated on the fire - what joy!

So, why, when I know hot running water is one of my favorite things in the whole world am I choosing to live a lifestyle where it is a rare treat? Why are we trying to build a farm and homestead on 32 acres of beautiful raw land? Why is the house the last thing I want to build?

In part, because I don't want to become blase' about the simple joys in life. In part because I treasure the very foundations of life - nature, relationships and responsibility. In part because I am always pushing to find my boundaries and stretch my limits.

Maybe none of this is making any sense because after barn building all day - I really want a shower!


Our neighbors in Arkansas are so wonderful. The owner of the local saw mill is letting us haul his slab pile away, just for cleaning it up. We've hauled 3 loads in the horse trailer, probably two more will finish the pile. I think there is enough good wood there to build what will become our goat barn, but it is going to be our moving into barn.

Can't you just see the barn!

It took us more than an hour to square up the layout and mark the post holes - we seem to be great at parallelograms! We spent the rest of the afternoon digging post holes. Shawn did most of the digging. I could get them down about a foot and a half and that was it.

Tomorrow, after shipping orders and finishing our business work - we will cut and set the poles and get roof framed up. Hopefully, we'll get the other two loads of slab hauled. And, as a break, I wanted to go clean up the trash that people have thrown from their cars near the farm driveway, it is really bugging me.

Shawn says I have very funny ideas about "breaks", almost as funny as my "days off". Those are the days that I take to do my heavy production weaving. While they are important for the business, they really are days off for me, because I can focus on something I love and leave the world behind.

Well, that's enough mental pogo stick riding for tonight.

What is your favorite modern convenience?

Morning lessons

Sometimes we are given our lessons with a "clue-by-four" and other times we get gentle hints.

This morning I have been blessed with three easy lessons -

1. Chock your trailer tires like you mean it - even if you think the ground is flat! The two-by-four that I had under the wheel held the trailer - just - now there are cinder blocks between the wheels.

2. Modern refridgerators were not made to fit through homemade stone building doors. Hmm, still not sure where this one is going - do we build a shed for the fridge?

3. Tie panels on the the trailer one at a time - that way, when you are taking them off, you can do it by yourself without having the whole stack fall on your head!

The trailer stayed put, the fridge did not get stuck and the panels did not fall - gentle reminders to think about what I am doing.

May you be blessed with easy lessons today!

Homeward Bound

My dog just answered a question that has been tugging at the edges of my brain for a week or so...

The last few days has been a frenzy of packing and sorting and trying to keep a business going smoothly while moving farm, business and family more than a thousand miles.

I was packing orders to ship, or trying to, as I had just moved my desk into the kitchen. I had spent more than an hour or to trying to get the desk, all the boxes that belong to it and all the paraphenalia that goes with it organized, sorted and packed neatly. All the books, fibers and other inventory that we store in the office was already in neatly labeled boxes in the truck.

Good thing they were labeled!

Already I had been out to the truck, in 70 mile per hour winds, three times, to get books, fibers or tools that were needed to fill orders. My brain was keeping up a steady patter of background thinking - wondering about which coat to wear to town and whether or not we would find the mailbox after the wind quit.

I looked at the packing slip for the next order and saw it was another book that was in the truck. Wearily, I heard myself sigh.

"I'm so tired of this," my brain said, "I just want to go home."

My mind heard this comment and everything stopped as I examined it. What did I mean, "Go Home?" The picture that came to mind was my jean jacket, hanging on the wall and my clogs under it. I missed them - they are in our camper, Midas, in Arkansas.

But Arkansas isn't home yet, it is two campers on a beautiful piece of a friend's land and a rented store. If anything, this farm here in Colorado should be what my mind thinks of as home, I've lived in this valley longer than I have lived anywhere in my whole life - and in this house second longest. But I don't know if this house ever has been home.

What is home?

As an Army brat, that is a question that has occupied a great deal of my life. Longing for home, looking for home, dreaming of home.... and I'm still not sure how to define the concept. I thought it meant roots and a place where you stayed, forever, but I have never been able to find that.

I thought it meant community - friends, family and relationships that you nurture and who care for you. I am blessed with that, many-fold, but I haven't found a home in it. My friends and family are in many different times and locations. We bring each other lots of joy, but nothing that I can define as home.

My brain gave me a hint, my snugly jean jacket and easy to put on clogs - Comfort and tools that fit right. But this afternoon, Quigley gave me my answer.

We are in Arkansas now and are unloading the truck and trailer. Boxes, and boxes, carried into the store. Shawn brought in the heavy parts of my desk. I brought in the desk top and settled it on the ends. As I was adjusting the sides, Quigley crawled under the desk, stretched out and sighed contentedly. He was home!

Then I realized - Home is where ever you can be comfortable and with the ones you love (human or otherwise) - whether it is the back of a van in the Louisiana swamp, under a desk in the Arkansas Ozarks or in a grove of trees on the Colorado Plains. Home is a moment of relaxation, a soft blanket and warm socks.

Home, sigh.... I am home.

Who's training who?

My critters find me very easy to train. I've been aware of this for years. When I am working with horses or other performance animals, I have to be very careful that we are progressing on my agenda - along with theirs!

For example, our little pug cross, Scraps, is on pain medicine for a torn ligament right now. The vet said the pills taste good and she should eat them fine. The first two, she did. Then she spit it out. I wrapped her pill in a hot dog. She ate it. Then this morning, she ate the hot dog, spit the pill out and expectantly looked at me. Obviously, I was supposed to wrap another hot dog around the pill.

At that point, I realized her scheme and force fed her the pill. She has a bit of a weight problem, too. She does not need extra hot dogs. I have one very unhappy little dog! She was sure she had her human much better trained than that.

Sometimes I don't even realize the ways they change my behaviour. My Aussie will come up and sit next to me. If I don't go into auto-pet the dog mode, he will rumble. Rarely any more does he have to escalate to a full "YIP" to get me to automatically start stroking him with a hand or foot.


Shawn laughed at me the other morning when he came into the office. It took me a minute to figure out why. His cat, Halfie, likes to sit in my office chair. She gets very upset and subversive if I move her. She will jump on my lap, rub on my computer and make a general pest of herself. But, if I just leave her in the chair and type over her, life is good.

Halfie knows who really runs the Common Threads office!

Chinook wind

Yesterday morning, about 3 am, a chinook wind came whooshing across the prairie.
I had been thinking for about the last month that the only thing that was going to get rid of all this snow was either a good rain, or a good chinook. So, it is the wind to the rescue. Funny, I rarely think of wind as a saviour - usually I grumble and gripe about it.

In less than 24 hours of blowing wet warmth (well, warm is relative, but it is above freezing!), our driveway has turned from white ice to slippery, sloppy mud; The snow drifts around the goat barn have gone from 4-foot ramps to 3-feet of slush; and suddenly everything from grain cans to roasting pans is appearing from under the 8 week old blanket of white.

I should be excited - after all, this is what I've been wishing would happen for about a month and a half. But, I do wish the timing had been better!

Robin and Summer are coming to the farm to help me pack this weekend. We were/are going to load all the appliances, beds and sheep fencing into the horse trailer for Shawn's next haul to Arkansas. Now, I hate to gripe, but how do you haul a refridgerator 60 feet through foot deep mud?

Kids and cold

Erie had her kids this afternoon. One huge boy, one bitty boy and a stillborn.

Normally, (whatever that is!) our average temperature this time of year is 38 degrees. It gets down in the 20's at night, maybe the teens, and up in the 50's during the day.

Over the years, (since 1987!) I have found that I like to kid out the goats in February. The weather is usually pretty nice and dry and comfortable for being in the barn at all hours of the day and night.


Well, this year is not normal - not by a long shot. It has only gotten above freezing three days this month and it has been below zero most nights. Today it did almost get up to freezing. It was bright and sunny. And now, at almost 10:00 p.m. it is back down to minus three - that's 3 degrees below zero.

Our barn is generally warm and comfortable, but it isn't heated. I put a heat lamp in there, but the little goats were still not thriving, and heat lamps scare me because of their fire potential.

So, Lena and I build a big, crackling fire in the stove in the workshop, built a little pen out of pallets, bedding it with junk wool and several old blankets and brought Erie and her boys into the workshop.

I just went out to stoke the shop fire and check on everybody. Yampa is close, but I think still a few days off. Erie's little boys are up and toddling and happy. They are getting the faucets figured out and they think their soft bed is super to sleep on. Erie is warm, but worried. In spite of the fact that she has been driving everyone out of the barn with dragon yowls all day - she doesn't like being alone. I left her a radio, perhaps that will help, a bit.

If I were a little less tired, a little less worn out by dealing with all this cold and ice and snow, then I'd stay out there with her tonight. It would be nice and peaceful to sort and pack, and Shawn is on the road, so I am lonely, too. But I am tired, so I've set the alarm for midnight, to check on everybody, and I'm going to curl up in my soft feather bed and listen to the radio...

Thought trains and pogo sticks

Do you ever loose your train of thought?
I do, frequently. And my life can be chaotic enough to loose a whole, great big, long train - along with its tracks!
When I examined it, I realized my thoughts are not like trains. They are not predictable, following set tracks and schedules. They are not big and strong, blowing their whistle as they blast through my mind. No, often I can track them, but it is more like following bunnies through the snow.

"The snow, there wasn't much last night because it is too cold. Seven below, in fact right now at 5:00 am. The goats who are due are even being friendly and sleeping in a huddle in the barn, even though Erie is so close she really can't stand to have any one touching her. They say the high today is supposed to be 15 degrees. None of this ice and snow is going to melt at that rate. I could start a fire in the shop and work out there today, but really, I have a lot of office work that needs doing. How are we going to get the fencing panels dug out of the snow drifts so we can take them to Arkansas? Does Shawn have everything he needs to leave for this mornings trip? I should check the spare tire situation.... Ah, the house is so warm after checking on the goats."

That was the basic trail of thought as I went out to check the goat barn this morning. You can track these thoughts. They leave a trail. But, sometimes, my brain confounds even me. Especially when it is in creative mode, my thoughts are very random. It's like my mind is excited and is on a pogo stick.

Great ideas for a new rug, must draw weaving drafts ^!^!^ dogs, need bath ^!^!^! Do we have frozen peaches^!^!^Would that blue wool look good on a felted stress ball^!^!^Need to call my mom^!^!^What are the horses up to?

And so on. I am usually up and working when my brain is hopping around like that, but if I am ever here writing and you really cannot follow the post - now you'll understand.

Have a bright and shiny day!

Mr. Duke's goat cheese dog bisuits and animal friends

I was making a batch of Mr. Duke's goat cheese dog biscuits tonight. They are all natural treats that our dogs prefer to any commercial dog cookie.

Of course, I was thinking of Mr. Duke, in who's honor the recipe was named. As I kneaded the soft, cold dough, I started thinking of other special animals who share their lives with me. My brain wandered as my hands squeezed and pushed.

We had the vet out to the farm yesterday morning to do health checks on everyone in preparation for the move to Arkansas. We've had to find new homes for many of our animals, there is just no way we could move the entire critter complement of the Laffing Horse Farm to Foxbriar. There are many wonderful stories of the animal's new homes and their adopted people, but those are for later posts.

Somewhat apologetically I said to our vet, as we crunched over the snow to the barn, "We went from ten horses to two - and they are both over twenty."
His reply was quick and understanding, "You'd be surprised at how often that happens."

He patted Fria and Nugget and told them how they deserved their retirement. Meanwhile, Rosemary, our mmama llama was humming with worry. What was that man doing in her barn!

Rosemary's humming didn't bother most of the animals, but Nilly, our little blind sheep is especially sensitive to tension. Nilly was born here on the Laffing Horse Farm. Her mum was one of our older ewes. She knew instantly that Nilly was special. She used her nose to teach Nilly to go up the step into the barn by bumping her. It took us humans longer to figure out what was going on. It was several months before we knew Nilly was blind.

Nilly danced her way into our hearts. Sometimes we sheepishly joke that we fuss more over the silly blind sheep than we do over the rest of the flock. But she is so special. Lambs are born to dance. The little ones bounce, bound, flip and twirl. It is pure joy to watch. But as they grow, they stop dancing. By the time they are six months old, they rarely dance. Grown sheep only dance on very rare occasions - for special food or when a storm is coming.

But Nilly dances all the time. I guess since she is blind, she never figured out that she was supposed to stop that silly behavior. She's five years old now, and it is a rare day that I am not gifted with a smile, courtesy of Nilly's dancing.

Well, Nilly was in the pen with Rosemary. She began bumping the llama on the legs, as Rosemary kept her eye on the vet. He smiled over at her and said, "Well, the llamas are plenty healthy."

Finally, Rosemary took her eyes off the strange man to look down at the silly sheep under her legs. She snuffled Nilly's ruff, reassuring herself and the blind sheep. As we walked out of the main barn, toward the dairy goat pen, I saw the blind sheep coax the mmama llama back to their flake of breakfast hay.

We are blessed that our days are filled with gifts and lessons from our animal friends. And they are blessed that our business allows us to keep them all well fed and cared for. I like to think that it all works out well for all of us.

And of course, the dogs think that humans do a pretty decent job of warming up the bed on these cold winter nights. The picture is Quigly-up-over, my Aussie, "straightening" the covers.

The dogs share our lives more directly than many of the other animals. Mr. Duke (remember the biscuits at the beginning of this post?) was one of the best of that noble species. His biscuits are available in our Common Threads fiber arts and more ebay store. The listing has the story of how these treats were created.

Laffing Horse Cheery Valentine Cookies

Laffing Horse Cheery Valentine Cookies, that's a much better title for a recipe than - "We were cleaning out the freezer and thought these might go together!"

While Shawn and I made the last trip to Arkansas, Lena did the oh-so-fun chore of cleaning out the freezer. Now the dogs are happily noshing on elk burger from 2000, road-kill cow roast from 2004, left-over goose from Christmas 2003 and all other manner of unidentifiable used-to-be-food stuffs. The chickens are enjoying freezer-burned peaches, corn, apple sauce and hot (hot!) chilies. They should have it all cleaned up off the snow in the next few days.

But there are all those things that are still good to eat, and yet won't really fit in the freezer on the fridge. Today I wanted cookies. So, I picked through the thawing items in the cooler and created these... eventually, the recipe will get around without this back story and sound much more appetizing. :-)

Laffing Horse Cheery Valentine Cookies

1 lb very dry goat cheese ricotta
1 c melted coconut oil
2 eggs
1 c sugar
1 tblspn baking powder
2 c whole wheat flour
2 c frozen pitted sweet cherries

Blend the goat cheese, coconut oil, eggs and sugar until creamy.
Stir the baking powder into the flour and add to the cheese mix.
Mix completely, it may take a few minutes and it will be somewhat chunky.
Add the cherries and stir just enough to spread them through the cookie dough.
Roll into teaspoon sized balls and bake on a cookie sheet for 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees.

I think this recipe made about 80 cookies, but Shawn ate them so fast I'm not sure :-)