Shamed to Say

This fantastic machine has been sitting around for the past 12 years without being touched. My husband before he passed purchased this machine for me but then the s*@t hit the fan and I tended to him before his passing and then kept overwhelmed with the business of moving and starting this farm. I had taken two classes but had twenty more to go but that expired and they where not going to make an exception. Then I lost the instruction book. Well, it sat nicely at the end of my sewing table while I used my little Singer. Not anymore, I received the booklet in the mail and Thursday I sat myself down and told myself "You are not leaving this seat till you get this machine running". No easy task, I could not even get the bobbin to work correctly. I then found a piece was broken off. After useing my brains and double sided tape I fashioned a new piece and off I went to filling the bobbin. Next with glasses on face and a can do spirit I started in on the stitches. There are hundreds of stitches so the scrap fabrics by my side I placed the metal to the petal. Now I remember why I love this machine....

All my giggling and smiles where non stop for hours as I played and played. My mind went wild as I was creating in my head great new projects with all that fabric sitting awaiting me in the basement. Late last night I started taking apart the flour sacks that I purchased recently from a Colorado FarmGal - I am thinking a couple of pillows for my bench on the kitchen deck. Maybe a couple of aprons to bring out the country cook in me. Oh, I think I might have created a MONSTER - maybe life would have been calmer without the knowledge of the machine - WHO AM I KIDDING - I LIVE TO CREATE !!

Bowl Full of Berries

While others are making jams and jellies I am putting berries in my yarn. This incredible Mohair Boucle Yarn has all the summer jam colors without all the calories. I have Strawberry, Cherry, Tomato, Persimmon, Concord Grape along with a wild hot pink. I just love the mouth watering look of this yarn and soon it will be available on my Etsy Site.

I have many more wonderful handpainted yarns hanging outside just waiting to finish drying in the sun. Then I will gather them up and get them ready to those who can appreciate farm fresh yarn........... Hope that might be you..

I am doing the chicken dance

These marvels are from my new hens (Black Stars) that I added to the coop about three weeks or so ago. I was so excited to see the single egg amongst all the large white eggs I could not contain myself. So far only one of the black girls are laying but I hope soon the others will catch on. Wednesday I even received a double yolk from the sweet girl.... With that wonderful gift came heart ache. One of the sweet white hens passed. I had brought her into my shop and made her a crate with towels and hay. She seemed to be off but I could not figure out exactly what was her illness. I sat with her in my arms and played soft music. She settled down and went to sleep. I checked on her several times in the night but by 4 am she had passed. I wrapped her and then buried her in the morning. I do not eat my girls - I know that most folks would think it a waste but she along with all the others who share my farm and family members not food source.

Back to the great news - I have brown eggs.. The nest is my Mohair Boucle that I finished dyeing the other day and soon will be adding into some new art yarns I am creating. What a nest - only at the Funny Farm - Right??

It's Been SO LONG

Hello everyone - I am getting caught up and now able to sit down and write. Boy, it has been a busy couple of weeks and I thank you for waiting on me... Where to start??

First off the wedding is done and with only a few hiccups (what wedding doesn't) the day was wonderful. I do not have pictures to share yet because we are getting them from several sources. No, I did not bring my camera because I had enough things to hold, handle, straighten and well you get the picture - or at least you will soon. Yes, I even managed to get this weird hair into curlers (I am sporting a lot less strands because I had to pull some of the curlers out along with my hair) and into something that resembled a hair do... O.K. that might be stretching the truth but I dare say mine look just as good as those who went to a professional.

Anyway, I managed to get three hours of sleep in 72 hours - not bad but I gave myself two days after the wedding to just sleep, sit and just enjoy my farm. The animals where glad it is over too - not as many snuggles as we all would have liked but trust me I made up for lost time.

Now I am getting back into my work load, filling orders, doing chores and even thinking of new products for the holiday season - so get ready for daily postings and hopefully some fresh ideas - O.K. it will probably be ramblings of a over heated farmgal but heck nothing new there or here....

Glad to be back!!!

Why is it getting Dark??

I could not believe how in a matter of a couple of minutes the sky turned black and the air became so still that I knew it was not going to be pretty....

Along with the sheets of rain came hail so fast and hard that it looked like the end was coming. O.K. here is another movie reference - in the new War of the Worlds when the clouds turned black and the lightening rolled thru them and then the lightening struck the ground. That is what is going on outside. It is so bad it is rattling my windows in the house. After quickly taking these pictures I ran down to the basement just as the rain and hail came. I again flipped the switch to close down the propane tank, I shut down the pump to the well and flipped the switch on the main breakers. Now if a strike hits we will not fry anything or blow up. I sat listening to the sounds that are becoming so common this summer and wondered if this is just the beginning of what Mother Nature has in store for us??? Honestly Mother Nature I am one of the good guys - I have been caring for the earth since I was a little girl.. I only drive twice a month and then only for food and animal supplies. I do not leave lights on, do not use a dishwasher, dryer, garbage dispossal. I limit my showers to 5 minutes and with warm water. I use only bio products, raise my animals organically and recycle everything. I really do not get it - can't you leave me out of this???

So as I sat in the basement I crocheted and spun by the light of my headlamp (rechargable batteries only) and hoped that Mother Nature is aiming for my neighbor with his three hummers, large McMansion, and huge sprinkler system that runs when it is raining. I sure hope Mother Nature throws a lighten bolts better then I do a ball.

I HATE, HATE, HATE Clothes Shopping

Yes, I am one of those strange women who would rather dig a ditch then step foot into a dressing room but I had to find something to wear for my son's wedding that is in just seven days. Now, I did not wait till the last moment. I ordered three different outfits on line and thought I was done. They arrived, I tried them on and I guess I am really shrinking..... I even measured myself but I guess I did not do a very good job of it. Anyway, put on the first skirt and it fell to the floor, then the second and the same results. The third skirt even had elastic and a drawstring - well after I pulled it tight enough to stay on it looked horrible. So I have them all to send back. That means having to go off the farm and into stores.

So, I stepped foot into the only clothing store close to me - Kohls - did not find one thing for the wedding but I tried on jeans because you guessed it mine are falling off. I could not believe it - 5 sizes smaller then the jeans I came in with!!!
Can you believe it - no wondering I was swimming in my clothes. GREAT - but now to find the right pair. I think I tried about thirty different styles and finally one that worked. So I purchased one in blue jeans and one in black jeans. I even treated myself to a couple of new cotton tops.

Wait, still no cothes for the wedding. So I drove to the outlet mall and five hours later came away with a linen bias cut ankle length skirt and a cotton camisole top with eyelet insets. I also purchased a great pair of bronze mules that are so comfortable but very trendy. So now I went home and spun some white silk and bronze linen together and I am now making me a shawl. I am also going to weaving that same spun yarn thru the eyelet lace to make it look like it all belongs together. Since it will be a hot July day in a garden - I really did not want to wear too much or I would turn into a puddle. I showed the outfit to "Brooke" the bride to be and she really liked it - or maybe she was being nice but either way I have my outfit.... Jumping up and down because I Hate, Hate, Hate clothes shopping....

I am also deconstructing a pearl necklace and redesigning it to work with the outfit. I am also making the jewelry for the bride and bridesmaids. So far the beaded Gerbera Daisies are not coming out the way I wanted but I will get it to work - Patience was low last night with all the fireworks going off and scaring the animals so I will start up again today.

The S**T hit the fan

Sorry it has been so long - GUESS WHAT???? Yes, the weather has been anything but nice around here. We have had horrible storms, hail, HUGE THUNDER and LIGHTEN and even tornadoes AGAIN!!!! I have lived in Colorado all my life and really there has never been any time in my memory that the weather has been like this. The ground is so wet the animals are having hard times getting around. The bugs seem to multiply before my eyes - it is unreal that you have to wear bug spray to sit in your livingroom or wear it to bed so you do not spend the whole night hitting bugs that will drain you of every drop of blood before morning... I look like I have measles - just what I wanted - covered in red bumps for my sons wedding.

Then there are the frogs who are enjoying the pond Mother Nature has made. Has anyone every seen the movie "THE FROGS". It is a really bad B horror movie that was made in the 70's to warn us of what Mother Nature will do to us for screwing up the planet. Well, I feel like I am in the middle of that movie. First, we had attack of the Miller Moths or better known "Mothra". Thousands and thousands of moths pooping on my walls and flying into your face while I try to sleep. Then the Alferd Hitchcock "Bird", hundreds of swallows trying to make nests in every inch of my eves and barns. I must say I am scared from the movie and have a really hate on when birds fly past me. I also really hate when they sit in a line of the electric wires just like in the movie right before they came down at the children on the playground. So, now I am in the middle of "The Frogs". I am wondering if soon I will be apart of the "Mushroom People" - another great B horror movie. If you can get below the grass which is now up to my chest, you will find hundreds of mushrooms. As in the movie - you just do not want to fall asleep in the fog (which reminds of of the great horror movie "The Fog") because you will awake well on your way to becoming a mushroom. I can't believe you do not know this movie !!!
A classic BAD HORROR MOVIE - the best.

Along with the bad weather - Yes, the computer went down. A week of no computer - Heaven and Hell all rolled into one. No it was not the weather it was three years of updates that I guess I ignored and the computer had enough. It crashed the whole thing and it took quite sometime for the computer geeks to fix it because of the sheer numbers involved. O.K. so I do not update with all those weird things that come over the internet from HP - WHO KNEW ?? YES, everyone but me....

Well, I am back so strap yourself in and get ready to get caught up....