Purplequeenvt - New Journal

[purplequeenvt]

Such gorgeous work!!! You are masterful

Is the dark wool dyed or natural from your sheep?

It’s natural. I did think about dying it, even purchased some dye, but I don’t have time now and the color variation isn’t as obvious as I was concerned it would be.

 

[purplequeenvt]

I made it to VT last Thursday. The fair started on Friday.

Both my dogs came with me and the plan was to leave them at my parents and have someone bring Twist up to the fair every few days. Plans changed when I found out my mom’s corgi was in heat (Twist is intact).

Instead, he is staying in the camper at the fair with me. I’m really enjoying this time with him and seeing how he handles crazy situations. He’s absolutely perfect. There’s not many young Border Collies (or other breeds) that can be in this type of environment and remain calm and collected like he is.











My niece has been at my parents’ all summer (my sister took at travel nurse contract up near my parents’) so I’ve spent some time with her too. She stayed in the camper with me the first weekend and I took her to meet the emus in the poultry barn. They’re owned by a friend of mine.



I spent the day spinning in the “Fiber Loft” today. I finished spinning 2 bobbins and they’re ready to ply together, maybe tomorrow. I pulled my drop spindle out a couple days ago, spun for 15 minutes and then remembered why I don’t drop spindle anymore….it messes with my shoulder too much.



Blimpy the sheep is one of our most popular attractions. She’s an aged ewe who came in for the shearing demo, but gets to stick around because she’s so entertaining. She’s obsessed with food and will eat just about anything. She knows her name, at least when I call her. I’m trying not to give her too much junk food, but so far she’s had some PBJ, an ice cream cone that Twist didn’t finish, and some fries. I caught one of the cow guys near her yesterday and I thought he was only petting her, but when I was joking around later and mentioned he’d been spotted petting a sheep, he confessed that he’d actually been feeding her crackers. She has not gotten her donut yet.

 

[Baymule]

What fun for you! Twist is such a good boy, I know you are so pleaded and proud of him. That Cowboy giving Blimpy crackers has to be the funniest thing! Maybe Blimpy made a friend and a convert to sheep!

 

[canesisters]

I finished this project on Monday. Just barely in time for my trip to VT this week. It is coming with me and is going to the fair.








I’ve done 3 square shawls now. You can see improvement in my skills from 1 to 3.



Shawl from 2019 - hand spun Shetland from 3 different ewes.


2022 - also handspun Shetland


2023 - handspun Border Leicester Shetland

STUNNING!!!!! I am in awe.

Many years ago I did an drawing for a class that required me to reproduce a photograph. Part of that was the lace trim on the woman's dress. Just DRAWING the tatting pattern was very difficult, I can't IMAGINE actually creating it - and on SUCH a scale!!!! Beautiful!

 

[SageHill]

There’s not much better than days at the fair.

 

[purplequeenvt]

I’ve been in a bit of a slump since I got home 2 weeks ago. In part because I was tired and I got sick (nothing serious and may have been more allergies than viral), but I’ve been stressed at work (coworker issues).

We haven’t had a good rain in weeks and the grass is just about done. I haven’t sold a single sheep private sale this year. Nothing but time wasters. We are taking a big load of sheep to the auction on Thursday. I’m off loading everyone that I don’t want to keep - about 16 animals. They’re an odd assortment so I’m not expecting to get a lot of money for them, but just having them off the feed bill will be good.

The trip was good. I left myself a lot of wiggle room for my return trip and it’s good that I did. I got sick the last day of the fair and I was too tired to think about leaving when I had originally planned. I also took my niece back with me. She’d been in VT with my sister all summer (sister is a RN and she took a travel RN contract at the hospital near my parents’).

My youngest sister asked me to bring the niece to visit her “on the way” back. It’s not really on the way, she’s in Delaware, but I decided that it needed to happen. We spent the night with her and left late the next morning. We then made a stop in Maryland to see my brother and SIL. She’s allergic/doesn’t like dogs so we couldn’t go to their apartment and it was too hot to be outside to visit so we met at a Lowes. Short visit, but this was only the 3rd time I’ve seen SIL and 1 of those times was at her wedding.

I’m slowly getting back into the home routine. I’ve got to get breeding groups put together, but I’m waiting until the extra sheep are gone.

“Director William Burns” came over begging for marshmallows and then marched off in a huff when she discovered I didn’t have any.




I got the barn cleaned today. The front wall I built last year worked exactly like I planned, but I didn’t factor in how much it weighed and how awkward it would be to move. I got it out by hand, but used the tractor to get it back in. That’s one big thing checked off the winter prep list.





Poop Mountain


The turkeys are getting close to slaughter weight.


Monster is living outside now. I have been bringing him in at night though.

 

[Mini Horses]

How many turkeys you got? I keep wanting some, so far I've resisted. Same with a cow

I've butchered turkey in past, it's a big bird to handle. But I have 2 incubators and thinking hatch & sell poults.

 

[Baymule]

I hope you get decent prices for your sheep. I took 6 ram lambs to a nearby auction and prices were way down. But at least they are gone and off the feed bill. Been in drought all summer, 100 plus temperatures and pastures brown and crunchy. My sheep are on dry lit eating a round bale a week. Got a little rain, grass greened up, but too short and new to let the grass piranhas out on it yet.

I’m sorry you got sick, but at least it was on the last day and you just had to make it home. Coworker drama can ruin a good job. Maybe it’s time to look for another one.

You need a manure spreader to put that fertility back into your soil! Look on Craigslist and FB marketplace for a used one.

Love the pictures of some very spoiled animals slumbering in total comfort! Hahaha!

 

[purplequeenvt]

How many turkeys you got? I keep wanting some, so far I've resisted. Same with a cow

I've butchered turkey in past, it's a big bird to handle. But I have 2 incubators and thinking hatch & sell poults.

I’ve got 4. I got Broad Breasted Bronze this year. I prefer having heritage breeds, but I’m not set up to over-winter anything but the ducks and heritage turkeys take too long to finish.

I got 4 because I anticipated loosing some like last year, but these guys have avoided being snatched by foxes/coyotes/raccoons.

I love turkeys. They are such personalities. If I had a good year round spot, I’d probably keep a trio and hatch poults.

 

[purplequeenvt]

I hope you get decent prices for your sheep. I took 6 ram lambs to a nearby auction and prices were way down. But at least they are gone and off the feed bill. Been in drought all summer, 100 plus temperatures and pastures brown and crunchy. My sheep are on dry lit eating a round bale a week. Got a little rain, grass greened up, but too short and new to let the grass piranhas out on it yet.

I’m sorry you got sick, but at least it was on the last day and you just had to make it home. Coworker drama can ruin a good job. Maybe it’s time to look for another one.

You need a manure spreader to put that fertility back into your soil! Look on Craigslist and FB marketplace for a used one.

Love the pictures of some very spoiled animals slumbering in total comfort! Hahaha!

I’m beginning the search for a new job. It’s not just the coworker that’s the problem. It’s also the supervisor. He’s made it very clear that he doesn’t have our backs and he’s told me several times (about the problem coworker) that he’s “known her a long time” and “she’s a type A personality.” I don’t think that a type A personality excuses being nasty to everyone you work with.

I’d like to stay within this hospital’s network so I keep my same benefits, but I am concerned that the supervisor will pull something shady to keep me from being able to leave the department. He’s done it to other people in the lab.