June Doings

Wow, I have not written in such a long time, and I keep wondering, “What have I done that has taken up so much of my time? What have I actually ACCOMPLISHED?” Well, both Don and I have done a HUGE number of little things but nothing actually BIG up to this point.

I have been working on wool. I got some really pretty BLACK WOOL while I was at “Stitches In Time” last Saturday. I don’t know if I have elaborated over “Stitches” in my blog, but Stitches is an event held every 2nd Saturday of the month at the Senior Center in Storden, MN. It was the brainchild of Candy, and quickly passed on to my BFF & PIC Connie, and they were so thoughtful to invite me in on the venture! Thank you so much, guys! I will not let you down! The event is open to ANYONE in the community who: knits, crochets, weaves, rug-hooks, spins…or anyone who wants to LEARN how to do these things! So anyway, this particular wool that was given to me was from a black sheep, and the Shearers will not accept it because it cannot be dyed. BUT! Many spinners really like the black wool because it has such a variety of interesting shades in its locks. Here is the wool. It sort of resembles a Brillo Pad right at this stage!!!:

After washing and carding the wool, I started spinning it. This is only the 3rd project that I have started on Merlin, and I am so astonished at how far I have come in my spinning! Not only that, it is wonderful and so calming to spin the wool. Very satisfying too.

Meanwhile, I was messing around with Arthur’s wool. You remember Arthur, don’t you? Little Arthur Godfrey from last spring, whose mother broke his little leg and killed his brother and sister? Don helped me splint his leg and I bottle-fed him. And he grew. And grew, and grew. He had wool that was SO LONG and SO THICK that he has almost enough wool to have covered 1 ½ or 2 sheep! He lives at Connie and Norm’s Ash Lane Farm.

So I dyed Arthur’s wool. With…KOOL-AID!!! Isn't that awesome?! It was so much fun, and just look at the results:

LEMON-LIME

(OH, THIS COLOR IS JUST SO YUMMY THAT I WOULD LIKE TO ROLL IN IT!!!)

LEMONAID

CHERRY

(Looks like a 'Tropicana Dream', doesn't it?)

GRAPE

(The grape came out nicely mottled, just like I hoped that it would.)

I also made some Berry Blue, and some Pink Lemonaid. These colors are wonderful, and because you heat the Koolaid and the wool, and add vinegar to the mixture, it will make the stain stay, and not wash out. Look it up on Google: "Dying Wool With Kool-Aid."

After I do all of the carding, etc., I will finally spin it into a fine yarn. And after that is done, I will ply some of it with the black, and I think that I will have a really interesting blend. I have found a very interesting project that I would like to knit and felt, and I hope that it will be a money-maker for me. I will keep you posted!

AND, last but not least, I am now going to a Spinal Clinic in Sioux Falls, SD. I am undergoing a lot of therapy. More tests, and possibly some surgery. The head of the program, a Dr. Hanson whom I do not particularly CARE for, has told me that I am a FOOL to have my goats. That was the very first sentence out of the man’s mouth upon entering the room. And further, he asked: do I like beating myself up like this? Carrying water to them in 5-gallon buckets; moving them around to different locations in order to feed them; going out in the wintertime and freezing to death and hauling hay to them; making that hay in the heat of summer; then banging out the frozen water buckets and adding more freezing water in the winter… and just exactly who do I expect my back to heal when I am dong all of these things? Well, it pi**e* me off that he is absolutely right. So, I am forced to sell my goats. And I am NOT happy about it… Here they are. If you are interested, please email me.

The twins Willow and the un-named male, along with their mother, Miri. She is a marvelous milker.

My favorite doeling, Fern Gully. She makes me laugh so hard!!!

Big Daddy Nimrod. He is such a handsome man! I tell him that all the time. He is a very nice buck goat. Very gentle, for a male.

I am very proud of my herd of goats. I love them dearly. This is one of the things that I have to accept with my damaged back: no more lifting, raking, shoving, pulling, or carrying beyond my weight limit. I will miss them awfully.

Fiber

Don has gone up to the cities, so here I was all alone with ‘nothing’ (ha-ha) to do! I should have been cleaning the barn or doing something on my “To Do” list, but instead, I carded some yarn and sat down to my spinning wheel Merlin to do some spinning of the Miniature Llama fiber that Bill Fisher and his wife had given me to sample. “Merlin” and I have been having a wonderful time together. I LOVE spinning on Merlin! And tonight, while I was spinning and watching TV at the same time, I just sat in wonder and amazement. There I was, with the roving slipping through my fingers, turning into real yarn at the magic moment when the yarn twists and springs away from your fingers and fills the bobbin. And I was thinking: “Why did this ever seem so difficult? This is just as easy as breathing air or drinking a glass of water!!” I used to watch people and envy them that they were able to do this and I tried and tried and could not. But I really do believe that the magic is with Merlin… and that’s my story and I’m sticking to it!

Almost as soon as Don left I pulled out the fiber bags and boxes and went to work! That is (from left) a box of Yak and dog undercoat hair (Yes, I am going to 'spin my dogs'), Arthur the lamb, and Miniature Llama fiber. Hair, hair everywhere!

OH - MY - WORD!!! Either the cat had a massive hairball problem or I have a horrible mess on my hands! I have discovered that the Yak fiber, as well as the Miniature Llama fiber, will mat when washed, even without any sort of 'agitation' or mashing or whatever! It just gravitates towards itself and locks in a massive mess! I have read about folks using a lingerie bag. This is what I will probably end up trying in the future. But not to worry - it comes right out with the drum carder.

A -ha! Now THAT is more like it! This is sheep's (Arthur's) wool mixed with Yak. I have blended one batch with more sheep's wool than the other. It looks like an animal lying dead on the floor, don't you think?

Here is my Merlin, sitting with roving on his feet, keeping them warm. He is an Ashford Kiwi. Ashfords are made in New Zealand. He is very special to me. Sitting next to Merlin is a Picker. It has nails that sort of comb out the wool and help remove debris such as hay and seeds, as well as beginning to straighten it out so that it starts to face in the same direction. After picking the wool, it is on to the carder which super-brushes the wool and makes it ready for spinning! Meanwhile lying on top of the picker is some wool that Connie is letting me try out. It is all ready for spinning! WOW, is it ever soft! It is from a Shetland Sheep.

Here is the drum carder. It belongs to PIC (Partner In Crime) Connie, and she is generous enough to share this spendy little piece of machinery with me. Thank you so much, Connie. I don't know what I would do without you!

OK. PLEASE do not laugh. This is my very first EVER skein of home-spun yarn. It is lumpy, it is bumpy, but it is mine, and I am so proud of it that I just might decide to never make anything out of it and just hang it on the wall of my craft room in some special way to make it look artistic. Maybe Candy can help me with that?! It was spun from Arthur's wool and Heidi's (Don's German Shepherd Dog's) undercoat. I am very happy with my skein!!!

Mr. Blue, one of Don's male Beta's, looks on in approval. He thinks that as long as I am close by, he may just get an extra morsel of food! "Blue" is a very nice fish. He does what I want him to do, as I have trained him by fluttering my fingers and 'tinking' on the glass. He also allows me to 'pet' him, but I always, always wash my hands first. I do not want him to get any fungal diseases or anything like that. Betas are very beautiful and very easy to care for. When they are happy, they blow bubbles on the top of their water! Can you see Blue's bubbles? I just cleaned his 'cage' today, so he is very happy and blowing his bubbles on the top.

The Fox Are Back

Hello!

I know that it has been ages since I wrote my last blog. Wow. It was before Easter, during my brother's wedding! So, what have I been doing that is fun, and exciting, and taking up all of my time? Well, hmmm..I would LOVE to tell you that I have been on a cruise around the world. Or a visit to California. Or even a trip to nearby Mountain Lake...but, alas! I have only to report that I cleaned the house extensively while Don was gone to Colorado to visit #2 son Bob, who goes to college in Boulder... AND I have been working with fiber and spinning on my new wheel. More on that, later! ALSO, I got a new camera which is a state-of-the-art little machine smaller than a pack of Marlboro's. Which, by the way, I sincerely want to end up smoking every time I sit down and try to figure out how to operate it! This is not just a camera, folks, it is a device which I am even slightly afraid of. If I push the wrong button, I just might: order a pizza from Dominoes, purchase plane tickets to Jamaica, remotely start my car sitting out in the driveway, or detonate a weapon which will start WWIII. Well, not exactly, but I believe that it will take me most of the summer to learn how to operate the thing!

In the meantime, I put a new set of batteries in my cursed old Sony, and took some pictures of the newest family of fox in our neighborhood. They live just down the road from us, right on the side of the highway! Last year, momma fox had 5 babies, and eventually one or two were tragically killed by passing cars. This year, I have counted 4 new babies, but there might have been another hiding down in the hole. Fox are by nature extremely shy creatures, and so I was elated to find that they would allow me to take their pictures! Here they are: Enjoy!

A Joyous Weekend

I trust that everyone had a wonderful Easter! I hope that you were able to connect with friends and family for the Easter Celebration, and enjoy the seriously awesome weather! Our family had another reason to celebrate, as well. My little brother, Timothy Gerard Bontrager, got MARRIED on Friday, April 10th! He married Diane Clapsaddle at the Shepherd Of The Lake Church at Prior Lake, MN. They got married in the small chapel connected to the large church building. It was a small, intimate ceremony attended by just family and close friends as there were not many chairs inside. But the reception which was held at Dangerfield’s in Shakopee was attended by several other guests, and I would say that great fun was had by all! Good food and great conversation! I love my little brother so much, and I am so happy that HE is happy! He has been alone for so long, and he has found his soul mate in Diane. She has a gentle and peaceful spirit, and is extremely beautiful and graceful as well. I keep saying that she reminds me of Princess Diana. She is a Lab Tech at the hospital where Tim works, and she also plays the clarinet for orchestras. She has two teenage children, Andrew and Marissa. They both play musical instruments, as well. I will not elaborate any further, but I will share with you some pictures that I had taken at the reception.

The reception was held at Dangerfields Restaurant in Shakopee, MN. Tim and Diane live in Shakopee.

The happy couple at their reception. I can almost see them thinking, at this point : "THANK GOODNESS that part is over with! Whew!"

Diane and Marissa. Aren't they gorgeous?! And they BOTH had such LOVELY DRESSES, too!

Tim and Andrew. What a couple of handsome guys!

This is Tim's very good friend, Greg. He met Greg through the hospital where both he and Diane work. Greg has become an ordained minister, and he officiated at their marriage ceremony.

"It's okay, mom. It's a point-and-flash camera, mom. Ya just need to push the button. Go ahead, mom. Push it. WILL YOU TAKE THE PICTURE ALREADY, MOM! GEEZ!"

"See, ma? Just like THAT! POOF! Done!" I felt so fortunate to be able to do mom's hair and make-up for the wedding. She had on a lovely dress, and looked so happy! Of course, that was all due to her little boy getting married...it had nothing whatsoever to do with the make-up!!

And will you look at this! Melissa's dad and step-mom Kelly were there, too! I was so happy to see them when I walked into the church, and they sat with us at the ceremony, as well.

Tim and mom's good friends, Arlyn and Linda. This wonderful couple have 'gone the extra mile' for so many people, including members of our own family. It has been a real blessing having them as friends.

You know, it is just totally amazing who you run into at a wedding! This lovely lady, Jeanette, used to be neighbors with Steve and I when we lived in Jordan. And that was wa-aay back, um, well I won't say how many years ago. But I was pregnant with my 29 year old daughter when we lived next to them. :) Come to find out, she bowls with Diane!

Don looks dazed and confused. But then, WHAT ELSE IS NEW!!!!! Ha-ha! And Lorraine just looks hungry. Lorraine ALWAYS looks hungry!

It's a good thing that the food is nearby! And what a luscious spread it was. I especially liked the little puff pastries filled with spinach in a creamy sauce, served hot. Oh, YUM! Dangerfields really is a great place to eat! If you ever get to Shakopee, Mn, you will have to try them out! (Wonder if Tim can get a discount if I brag them up a bit!??? One can always hope, right?)

Two chocolate cakes with chocolate frosting. See those little tiny flowers? Steve and I nearly ate them! We thought they were frosting, but they were silk!

Tim and Diane are closely supervised during the cutting of the cake. No one was injured during the filming of this incident.

sigh...THAT'S MY LITTLE BROTHER!!! Always a clown!

As Tim was sitting at a table visiting, I 'puffed' some warm, moist air onto the top of his bald pate and began rubbing it with a napkin in order to 'polish' his head. He put on some "Chapstick" got up and kissed me on the cheek. IT WAS LIPSTICK! Oh, I just love my leetle brother SO MUCH!

We had a lovely Easter Dinner at Melissa and Rick's house. Rick did a lot of the cooking. He actually is a wonderful cook. So wonderful, in fact, that you might even think that he was a BONTRAGER instead of a Burmeister!! ;) And, an added bonus: LORRAINE GOT ICE-CREAM WITH HER PEACH COBBLER!

And THIS is my beautiful daughter, Melissa. Did you know that Melissa has started writing Children's Books, and she has asked ME to ILLUSTRATE THEM?! I think that it would be so marvelous if Melissa could be published, and we could work together as a "Mother/Daughter" team!!

I Was Just Kidding...

No, seriously. I was kidding. That’s what I was doing this afternoon. I was in the barn, helping with the kidding! Miracle (aka: Miri) divided into three pieces today. She had twins!

She had a little doeling, and a little buckling. They are totally adorable! The little female looks so feminine, with her tiny mouth and delicate features. And the little guy looks a great deal like his daddy, only lighter. You can see the Boer goat markings coming in on his face, only his face is cream colored instead of rich, dark mahogany.


They are keepers, that’s for sure! And momma is doing just fine! Her first pregnancy, and she had twins! I tried out a technique called ‘flushing’ before I bred either of the does. This is where you feed them very high quality feed and hay, and just pamper the heck out of them. After about 2 ½ months, I bred them to Nimrod. ‘Flushing’ supposedly causes the female to produce more eggs. Well, I guess it worked! Happy Birthday, ‘Willow’ and ‘Kid Karate – Chop’!

Momma checks out these strange little creatures. Now, where did they come from???

Willow says "Grandpa brought us his brand-new quartz heater to use, 'till he hooked up a heat- lamp. What a nice grandpa we have!"

The little Karate Chop has some pale markings on his face; he is trying to copy his daddy!

We have located the cafeteria!!!

Gee, our grampa is really good at holding twins! He says: "Just ask Bob and Dan!!!"

Ahhh.! This is just like basking in the sun in hawaii! Ummm...what is 'hawaii?'

Palm Sunday

Sunday April 5, 2009. Last night we had sideways-snow. It hopefully will be the last major snowfall of the 2008-2009 winter season. As I took pictures of our near-blizzard conditions, a Robin chirped miserably in the Ash tree branches above my head. I wondered if he wanted to go back to his ‘winter’ headquarters, in some warm, balmy part of the world.

Silent Sentinels

Today is Palm Sunday, and I took a few pictures of our old Blue Spruce trees next to the road. They’ve withstood many storms, even a few tornadoes. And still they stand: tall, silent witnesses of time passing. And while they watched, I made my way to the barn to check on ‘the ladies.”

Miri and Rosie are due to have their very first babies soon. Miri, in fact, was due yesterday. She shows signs of being very close. She eats like there is no tomorrow. I believe that she will be having twins. She is very wide, and I can feel at least two kids in there. But this is her first pregnancy, and so I am fairly certainly that there is not three!

Miri from the top side.

On the other hand, Rosie has always been thin, and I have to fight to keep weight on her. I was concerned that she may not even be pregnant at all, but after palpating her sides, I am positive that she is carrying one kid.

What is this? Another fat, pregnant goat???

Ah, no! It's only NIMROD! The DADDY!

All the kids are active. I am excited to see what they look like. I bred my Saanen does to a Boer-cross buck. My dad named him “Nimrod.” It seems to fit his personality.

The miracle of birth is has always fascinated me. I am so excited to see these new babies and have them frolicking at their mothers side. But that’s not the ONLY miracle forthcoming…

My “Leetle Brother” will be getting married this week! He and his lovely wife, Diane, will be flying to California for their honeymoon. They will visit with dad and his wife Betty, and do some driving and sightseeing on their own. I am sure that Tim will want to show Diane his old ‘haunts,’ as Tim lived in California for well over 20 years. He still misses the mountains, and Yosemite. And although I never lived there, I do miss the ocean. I once spent an entire week there. We were on the beach at Montana de Oro. Jade washes up on the shore there, and ‘Sea Glass.’ I still have some in a bottle of sand. That was a very special time for me. And I am sure that Tim and Diane will bring back many good memories, as well.