First the field trip. Spinning guild went on a visit to a local wool processor this morning in lieu of our regular monthly meeting. It was fascinating and the machines are wonderfully Rube Goldberg and work very well. Wool still gets washed by hand in stainless steel laundry tubs, but after that hand-controlled machines do the picking, carding, ( Read more... )

It didn't last, but it sure did snow today. Hard. Visibility near zero for a while. Ground temperatures were well above freezing, so it was pretty transitory. On the other hand, I think we'll get a hard freeze tonight. Not that it's too late in the year for either of these, because I can remember snow in May a few times in my life. However, the ( Read more... )

Well, it hasn't snowed yet. It was in the 50s today, but they're still saying it may snow tomorrow or tomorrow night ( Read more... )

How do they do it anyway? I mean, those little tiny birds flitting around out there when the wind is gusting to 45 mph and holding on at a steady 30 or 35? That's how it's been for much of today. At least it was sunny, but nowhere near as warm and pleasant as Wednesday, or even yesterday when it was rainy ( Read more... )

No fox sighting today. It was gloomy much of the day and began to rain in late afternoon. However, while working in the barns I found three small bird eggs lying in the sand on the floor. One was broken, the other two intact. They are about 1 cm. across and 1.5 cm. long, dull bluish gray with tiny brown speckles, heavier at the large end. They may ( Read more... )

Fox news: No new photos today, sorry. But... Gary saw the fox chasing the neighbor's terrier again. Or rather, he was retreating and she was just sort of following him to make sure he left. Then she went up between the arena and the creek toward the den where we have seen the kits. He went around the other side of the building to spy on her. Rather ( Read more... )

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The tunnel under the SE corner of the arena came out all the way to the interior under the tackroom door. (Tackroom has a raised floor, so it was easy going for whatever critter made it to go the length of that room (just a walk-in closet, really) and emerge below the doorsill. Gary thought he could flush out whoever was in there, so I stood where ( Read more... )