Those Spring chores
Mood:  chatty
Now Playing: Cutting Crew "(I Just) Died In Your Arms Tonight"
Topic: Rabbits

O.k., I can't really say anything about the IAGARB meeting, as the minutes of the meeting have not been published to the general membership, but I can say that it was great and I'm really looking forward to the next one! :)

Yesterday, after Leslie and I completed some of the IAGARB business that needed immediate attention, Leslie left to go back to Canada, and I headed out to the bunny barn. I moved Mia's four babies out to the barn on Sunday, as they are now 2 weeks old, and getting to the point where they want to start exploring. Exploring in my office isn't a good idea, and Mia is doing a fine job of keeping them warm. She even pulled a bit more wool so that they would be cozy last night. However, I'm not quite sure just who's wool she is pulling. I noticed that the buck placed next to her has a rather large bald patch on his right rear quarters. I noticed this last week, and I suspect that she pulled a large quantity of his wool (he is such a sweetie, and just loves attention, so I'm wondering if he was letting her pull the wool through the cages just because he likes her?). Anyway, Mia has been doing a very good job of mothering, and is now more relaxed with her kids back in the cage. My check on them this morning at 6 a.m. revealed that they were covered with lots of beautiful warm angora wool.

With it being 70 degrees outside, I decided to do some barn cleaning. Each Spring, the barn needs a major cleaning. So yesterday, I hauled a lot of bunny poop and hay out to the garden. The really great thing about bunny manure is that is isn't a "hot" fertilizer, and can be put directly into the garden. However, I had several bales of hay that got wet this year, and since I couldn't feed them to the rabbits, those too went out into the garden. This weekend, I'm going to have a major bonfire out there, and burn it all. The ash is very good for the garden.

Today I'm also meeting a new bunny owner, who is buying Precious. Precious (if you remember) was the little doe that I saved from chill last May. She was almost 3 weeks old when I found her in the cage, with Mia laying up against her, trying to keep her warm. Well, Precious is going to a new home today, and I believe that the owner is going to be very good to her. It was a tough decision to sell Precious, but sometimes we just have to let go.

I forgot to show this
Mood:  energetic
Now Playing: Human League "Dont You Want Me?"

I meant to put this up on Friday. It is a picture of the bistro table I bought from Templeton Furniture, which is part of the Gardner Furniture Outlets. It is constructed out of a former wine barrel, made from oak. It smells wonderful!

And here is a picture of the wine stamp on the top.

Wise People
Mood:  caffeinated
Now Playing: America "You Can Do Magic"
I'm hoping this song is a good omen for today. I love starting my day with great music, and I turned on Radio AOL to find this playing. You can go months, even years without hearing certain songs, and now I get to hear this song twice within 3 days. I like that! :)

People come into our lives for different reasons. Some are there to make us stronger, and others are there to make us wiser. Leslie Samson is one of those people who does both. She is down this weekend for the annual IAGARB meeting we are holding today. I'm really looking forward to the meeting and we've been working very hard getting everything ready for it.

Anyway, Leslie is fascinating to listen to. She's very knowledgeable about so many things, and imparts wisdom during discussions. Yesterday, we talked about so many things, and each time, I came away feeling blessed that I have Leslie as a friend. Some people just have this way about them, and Leslie is one of them. Not to mention that she has a wicked sense of humor, and can make everyone laugh. :)

To top off a very interesting day, we went out to eat last night. If you are ready for a great dining experience, Hadley is now home to All Fired Up!, a Mongolian barbecue restaurant. For those that aren't familiar with Mongolian barbecue, the concept is rather simple, but lots of fun and a healthy way to eat. It is a buffet type of restaurant, where you put together your meal yourself, picking from various veggies and meats in bowls that are set out on ice. You fill a bowl with these items, hand it to the chefs and they cook the food in front of you, on a large round grill. All Fired Up! gives you a choice of approximately 10 different sauces to put onto your food if you choose. Last night, my first trip up included portabella mushrooms, pea pods, shrimp and scallops with a wonderful sweet and sour plum sauce. My second trip up (I was hungry, after eating just a bit of tofu for lunch) was chicken and steak, with water chestnuts, ginger and bamboo shoots in terriaki sauce. The only thing that detracts from this fabulous restaurant, is that the acoustics are quite loud, with sound echoing off of the walls, floor and ceiling (no carpeting to buffer the noise). Even with that, I will still go back. The atmosphere (colors on the walls, glasswear, etc.) is very electric, that is to say that colors are bold and bright; oranges mixed in with blues, bold reds and deep greens. It would be a Dyer's heaven with all those color combinations! I can now see why this restaurant has been so busy since opening back in December. Plus, they make a mean Caramel Apple Martini! ;-)

Today we'll be having lunch with Marcy, who is also a member of IAGARB and a good friend of mine. Marcy and Leslie always have fun things to talk about, so lunch should be interesting and quite fun.

Pictures!
Mood:  chatty
Now Playing: America "You Can Do Magic"
Topic: Fiber
I just love this song. I reminds me of sitting on the beach, in late August of 1982, with the warmth of the sun baking into my shoulders, little portable radio next to me, in my sandchair. Can you tell that I love the beach? :)

The latest picture of the babies; they are now 13 days old. Aren't they cute? And they have VERY sharp teeth too. I got nipped on the hand between two fingers on Wednesday. Not enough to draw blood, but enough to leave a dent in the skin for a few hours. I can't begin to imagine how it feels to Mia when they latch on to nurse, which will continue for another 3 weeks.

They have figured out that rubbing behind the ears feels really good, and their little heads will just relax and drop down while they nash their teeth in sheer pleasure.

And here is the yarn purchased over at Webs. I'm making the shell on the far right.

Addendum to the Great Fleece Race of April 12th
Mood:  mischievious
Now Playing: The Temptations "My Girl"
Topic: Fiber
Dick e-mailed me last night. I have a total of fourteen fleeces coming. Is that cool or what??? :-)

Blatent AD :)
Mood:  energetic
Now Playing: Talk Talk "Talk Talk"
Topic: Fiber
Why waste your precious spinning time looking for bobbins for your wheel when they could all be stored in one place, neatly, with no tangles, and more importantly, no damage to the bobbins? Introducing the Original Bobbin Trees and Bobbin Logs.

We have three different models for sale:
The first is a freestanding Bobbin Tree, which can hold 14 bobbins. It is made from Purpleheart and Curly Maple - $150.00

The second freestanding Bobbin Tree holds 12 bobbins, but the "tree" spins, allowing for easy access to all bobbins. This unit is made from Curly Maple and Rosewood - $175.00

The third is the Bobbin Log, which hangs on the wall, and can hold between 4 and 20 bobbins, depending on the wood type chosen, and the size; prices vary depending on the wood type and number of "branches".
We currently have two Logs in stock, both made from Zebrawood, and hold 4 bobbins each - $50.00

Original Bobbin Trees and Bobbin Logs have been designed to hold Ashford, Lendrum, Schacht and Louet Bobbins. Bobbin Trees can also be used as Lazy Kates!

Are you a WEAVER? We make Trees and Logs for weavers, which will hold twice as many bobbins. We'll have some to show within the next two weeks!

We can custom make these units to suit your needs and wants. With fiber fair season coming up, we'll be making many more Trees and Logs to sell at the various fiber fairs we'll be attending this Spring, so please check back often to see what will be listed as new on the website.

More yarn, anyone?
Mood:  bright
Now Playing: REO Speedwagon "Take It On The Run"
Topic: Fiber
Forgive me bloggers, for I have sinned.

I took a trip over to Webs today, to talk to them about the Bobbin Trees, but Kathy wasn't there. So I looked around and found that the Classic Elite Premiere yarn was on sale, as it is being discontinued from their stock. I've been lusting after this yarn for a couple of months now, when I first saw it knitted up on a CE sweater. It is a Tencel/Cotton blend. I was able to find 9 skeins in a dark peachy/pink color (not many skeins left in any color, so I felt fortunate). I'm now $38 poorer, but I have something I can work on that isn't wool. And it feels so nice!

And to make matters worse, this morning, while cruising the blogs, Bonne Marie of Chicknits mentions how it's really time to knit with cotton, and her Ribby Cardi is perfect in a yarn called Samoa found at Supercrafty. So I check out the link on her site, find a beautiful light powder pink color in this cotton/acrylic yarn, and I had to order that. Who wants to knit with wool when it's getting up to 70 degrees outside? Not me.

Justification? Nope. Shear joy in buying yarn and planning projects? You bet! I'm a lemming. What can I say? :-)

Melissa's Classes
Mood:  chatty
Now Playing: Elton John "The One"
Topic: Class information
Melissa and I talked this past weekend, and thought that it would be really nice for her to teach two sets of classes; one day devoted to knitting and the next to crochet. We both feel that it is a shame that so many knitters view crochet as a dirty word, when it can really enhance a project, or be a gorgeous project all in itself. As you probably know, Melissa has just completed two crochet books; one for beginners called "Cozy Crochet" and the other which will be out in May, called "Cool Crochet", which is a follow up to "Hot Knits" which was released in May 2004. Melissa will have copies of all these books for sale at the classes, and I will have some needles and crochet hooks made by Grafton Fibers for sale then too.

So, here is what we'll have for classes:

Saturday:
Knitting on the Edge: Beautiful Borders: Jazz up your knitting with extra special edge treatments! Discover unusual textured borders, pretty hems, scallops, knitted-in fringe, and more in this hands-on workshop. These additions can transform even simple knits into eye-catching sweaters! 3 Hours, and some homework prior to class

Celtic Cables: Learn how to use basic cabling techniques to create Celtic inspired panels and motifs. (Shhhh, don't tell anyone, but these gorgeous cables are much easier to knit than they look!). 3 Hours, plus some homework prior to class. Proficiency in knitting with double pointed needles in the round is suggested

Sunday:
Crochet for Cowards: Want to learn the basics of crochet? In three short (and fun) hours, you'll have all the skills you'll need to create a beautiful in-class project. 3 Hours

Crocheted Hat Tricks!: Hats, hats and more hats! In this hands-on workshop, you'll create mini-versions of several quick-to-make and fashionable hats. Take the class handout (chockfull of full-size patterns) back home and let the fun begin! 3 Hours

Class fees will be as follows:

$50 for 1/2 day of classes (Saturday or Sunday)
$85 for a full day of classes (Saturday or Sunday)
$160 for the entire weekend!

Prices do not include hotel rooms, but I am in the process of contacting a few select hotels about possible discount rates for anyone that would need to stay overnight. Or if you prefer to book your own hotel room at another facility, I have a large list of phone numbers and addresses for hotels, motels and B&B's in the area.

If you are interested in these classes, please sign up ASAP. In order to bring Melissa in, I need a minimum number of students to run the class, so the sooner we have registrations in, the better off we'll be. :)

Please e-mail me at Baycolonyfarm @ AOL (dot) com for a registration brochure. We also take MC & VISA for class payments. (Yes, I'm a fiber enabler!)

The Great Fleece Race
Mood:  celebratory
Now Playing: O'Jays "Love Train"
Topic: Fiber
I have a few people that I love to buy fleeces from. One of them is Whitefish Bay Farm out in Wisconsin. Each year, they put their fleeces up for sale, and they sell out in 24 hours or less. If you buy a fleece one year, you have first right of refusal on purchasing that same fleece the next year, provided the sheep is still on their farm.

Each year, I've purchased more fleeces from them than the previous year. Last year it was something like 9 fleeces. This year I think I have ordered 12. Only 3 of my fleeces from last year made the cut this year; Dick e-mailed me and said that he was almost afraid to e-mail me with my reserves from last year because I lost 3/4 of my reserved fleeces! ;-) Well, I more than made up for it, and ordered approximately 10 colored fleeces and 2 white fleeces within 4 minutes of the fleeces going up for sale this morning (yeah, I sat at the computer, refreshing the page for almost an hour so that I didn't miss the sale, and yes, I'm still sane). Some of them I'll have sent directly to Matt and Jamie at Wooly Knob Fiber Mill and others sent directly here for me to process on my own. Dick and Gretchen really know how to skirt fleeces, which too many shepherds don't know how to do. I also own the list FleeceforSale on Yahoogroups, and have seen a few too fleeces filled with burrs, grass and the like, when promised that the breeder knew how to skirt. Skirting takes practice and an eye for knowing what spinners want. I'm fussy; I don't have the time to pick crap out of fleeces. Dick and Gretchen, along with Martha Maxwell of Coneflower Farm and Mary Pratt from NY know how to skirt fleece and all have very nice fleeces for sale.

Anyway, most of these fleeces will be resold later as roving at the various fiber fairs I'm attending this year. Look for lots of natural colors, pewter greys, varying shades of browns, dark greys, blacks and bright whites.

Impatient. Who, me?
Mood:  chatty
Topic: Rant
O.k. So I'm impatient. So sue me. ;-)

I was having some technical difficulties with my old blog, so I decided to start another. I've added more blogs that I read, and more fiber websites, that will hopefully provide new blog viewers with interesting things to read.

I'm in the middle of contractor hell. My personal contractor is wonderful. I think she's great! It isn't her that I'm having problems with, but instead, the contractor who is hired by Lowe's to come and replace our front door. We were there a week ago. We were told that once we paid our $30 for him to come out, he'd call in 48 hours to schedule a time to come out. No call. I waited a week and called Lowe's. They were at a loss as to why he hadn't called. Of course, he called last night (I know they called him to give him the "What for?"). He said he'd be out between 11 and 1 today. So I waited. And waited. And waited. No contractor, so I leave to pick up DS#2 from preschool at 1 p.m. Of course he shows up while I'm out. Tnankfully, my original contractor's employee was here painting and asked him to wait. He did, and we discussed the new door. From the way things move in contractor land, it will be another month or two before that door is in. More waiting. Great.