Yesterday morning I had that feeling, like I was going to forget to do something very important before I have to go back to work/school next Monday. I decided to make a list, at least for the day. I can't think straight enough to make a list for the whole week.
On my list for the day were such chores as going to Home Depot and the Grocery Store, check, check. But most importantly I had an appointment to visit Jacob's Reward Farm. I have been trying to get out to meet Cindy since way back last winter.
Ewe (get it?) this picture is blurry, sorry I was driving.
I found Cindy's blog through a network of other knitting blogs that I follow and started following her blog because she was in Texas. She raises alpacas, sheep and goats for wool.
About a month after I had been keeping up with her blog I found an article in a local magazine all about her and 'the farm.' I even had friends at school bringing me the article and asking if I'd read it or followed her blog.
Well one thing after another kept me from making the trip out, mainly really wet weekends when I knew I couldn't chance trying to drive the Miata to a farm. Farm = dirt road, dirt road + rain = mud road, muddy road + Miata = wrecker pulling Miata out of a ditch. I just kept putting the trip off farther and farther. It was all or nothing for this week. It hadn't rained in about a week... the roads were dry. I could do this.
I emailed Cindy for her address. I pulled it up on Mapquest. GOOD GREIF!!!! She's just a little over 5 miles from my house! I could walk there in Janis Joplin rubber boots if I had to!
The first thing I noticed when she took me inside for a tour was this HUGE triangle weaving loom on the wall. I had seen one of these at a craft show in Gruene once. I want one SO bad. Cindy showed me how easy it was to weave on it and has promised me that the next time I'm out she'll set me up on a smaller version to learn how it works. Yea! A new hobby.... maybe that could eat up some of the stash. I'll need to find a wall big enough to hold something as large as this big loom. Hmmm, I don't need all those crosses hanging in the living room. Maybe the guest room would be better. She also had 6 or 7 spinning wheels and said I'd have to try my hand at MAKING YARN! I've never had the inclination to make my own yarn. After all I have 2 closets full of yarn just waiting to be knitted and now woven into something. I think I can hold off on having a spinning wheel, but I would really like one of those looms.
Outside the barn she has Free Range chickens running all over the place. So that means she has free range eggs too.
I met Juda, the Great Pyrenees ... sorry I didn't get a picture of him. He was on duty guarding the pasture. He looks like Stinky, only about 6 in. shorter (he's still growing), with much more hair, and he's MUCH more aggressive. He's a guard dog, Stinky is a social butterfly. The sheep were in the back pasture. I'd forgotten to spray my legs and really wasn't up to getting chiggers by traipsing through the tall grass. All sheep look somewhat alike to me, only some have black faces and legs and some have white.
"Watch it Buttons! Here she comes!"
"Buttons get the catch rope!" (Nita, they'll never guess what movie that's from. The kids won't even know this one.)
All of Cindy's animals have Biblical names. I don't remember what this guy's name was but I was wanting to touch him so badly. He looked so soft, and no Nita, he didn't spit on me. Cindy said she's only been spat on once when she got between two that were having a.... (wait for it) SPAT!
Look at this little bitty one. I know if Jolea, Jeff or Andee were with me they would have gotten right in there and grabbed one of them. Andee would have taken one home to add to the "paradise menagerie" that she calls home.
Would you look at that face. He's like a super-model of the Alpaca world. Maybe Cindy should have a calendar! I'll have to talk to her about that. Dawn wants to go with me the next time I go, she's a great photographer, maybe she'll take the pictures.
Cindy took some pictures for her blog and as I was leaving a thunderstorm was rolling in from the South. I picked up another knitting bag!!! and Cindy gave me a pin, check them out in the pictures on her blog.
So it's Tuesday.... what WAS I supposed to do today? Maybe make a list so I don't forget the rest of the week.
