NOOKSACK CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION

Plans for the Nooksack Centennial Celebration are moving right along.  It is only about 7 weeks away, being held on September 8th.

I wound up handling publicity and entertainment, but I'm thrilled at how it is all falling together.

Above is one of the banners we have along Highway 9.

Here is the BIG banner, being carried by some kids I recruited the day before the parade for the Everson Nooksack Festival.

We will be serving hot dogs, ice cream and cake.  Afterall, it is a birthday party!!!  What else would you serve?

The entertainment includes two barbershop choruses, an Elvis impersonator, the Nooksack Indian Tribe with a drum ceremonial and dancing, and hopefully a Latina rock band.

Several businesses are having open house that day.

I'm hoping that Country Partners 4-H group decides to provide a petting zoo.

AND, we have a carriage drawn by draft horses that will give free rides through town and on my farm, past the homestead house of Mary Harkness and the 120 year old barn.  I'm really excited about sharing my farm for this purpose.  It is the only piece of agricultural zoned property left here in town, and it will provide a living history lesson to those who take the ride.

The Celebration will be held in Nooksack City Park on Saturday, September 8th from noon to 3pm.

Oh, I forgot to mention that my church, Nooksack Christian Fellowship, will be holding open house from 11am until 5pm.  Their building is also 100 years old this year, and they will be featuring on display the vintage quilt that I researched and traced back to this church.

Now, let's all pray for a bright sunny day!

Ducks in a Row

I LOVEMY DUCKS.

I never realized what wonderful personalities these birds have.  They are such characters!  I hear them each morning as I awake, and it reminds me I have animals to care for again.  They are pretty easy maintenance, but it's fun to go out and check on them.  If I can't find them, I just say "Here duck duck". and they will chirp back at me.  (being youngsters, they don't yet quack)  In the picture above they are on slug patrol.  Those slugs must be as good as a box of chocolates.  Oh, here's a big one!  Let's see, does this have a nougat filling?  They really know how to put them away.

Here they were following me so closely, I had difficulty getting a picture.

The other night I had my knitting group here.  We were sitting in the shade in the front yard.  The ducks could apparently hear the frivolity and came around to join us.  When the first person got up to leave, they escorted her to her car!!

Here is part of my back garden.  I decided to fill it with containers this year to give it height and interest.  I like it, but it does take more watering than flowers in the ground.  Good thing I have an irrigation well.

Last, but not least, here are the yarns I made this week.  I have been trying to rest my ribs so have gotten alot accomplished in this area.

Just a Matter of Time

I'm sure you've all been waiting for me to get some kind of animal to care for.  Yes, I need something to nurture.  So here are my ducks.  I can't name them all yet, because I don't know what sex they are, but the white pair is male and female Muscovys, and they are Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett.  Then I have a Khaki Campbell, a Black Swiss, and an Ancona.  I think I got the breeds right.  They are so funny and entertaining.  I want them for eating my slugs.  Have you seen the price of slug bait?  Holy Cow, it's ridiculous.

I was watching a movie with a friend the other night and we heard people just outside my window.  It was the neighbors, herding the ducks back home.  I guess they had decided to pay a visit.  They know where their enclosure is, so I was easily able to herd them back in and close them in for the night.   During the day, I let them out, and they pretty much stay in my garden.  They are also intrigued with the chickens on the other side of the fence.

Summer didn't arrive until July 4th, and since then it has been hot and humid.  My flowers are finally growing.  At the feed store the other day, they were giving away vege starts, so I got 4 more tomatoe plants, orange and yellow.  I like to make different colored sauces, so this will be fun.

My yard is looking beautiful.  It helps to have a lawn service, but I still have lots of weeding to do, and my garden in the back.

For those of you who missed this on facebook, here is my new swimming hole.  Ya gotta do what ya gotta do to cool down.  That is a 35 gallon watering trough.

I have been giving great thought to establishing an alpaca rescue operation.  I have heard that alpacas are selling at the Auction barn for $2 to make dog food.  I would be very selective about which alpacas I would take on.  In most cases, they go to auction because people do not know how to handle them.  I will determine if they can be trained, and then work with them.  When they are ready, I will re-home them.  However, the person or persons who takes them will have to go through a training class with me.

This is still in the groundbreaking stage, but I'm getting very enthusiastic about it.

Fourth of July, 2012

Summer finally arrived on the Fourth of July.  Above is the bouquet I had for the table outside for our 4th feast of roasted hot dogs, potatoe salad and smores.  Doesn't get much more American than that.

The red and white striped rose in the middle is named "Fourth of July"

One of the 1000 plus chickens got loose and showed up in my garden that morning.  Isn't she cute?  I never had chickens before.  They are so funny.  I now appreciate the title of the movie CHICKEN RUN.

The afternoon before, I had received a phone call from Melissa, shown above.  She was panicing over a cria delivery, so I walked her through it.  My friend Sheree, who was visiting from Tacoma, and I went over on the fourth to visit the new baby and her predecessors.  Here is Madrone, weighing in at 22 pounds.

She is a beauty.   Her fiber is stunning, and she has the longest legs!!!

This is Pippi Longstockings cria, Thunderbolt.  Unfortunately, he does not have her wonderfully friendly nature.  She still comes up to give me kisses when I visit.

Then we visited the baby goats who happily attacked us.  Rosie untied Sheree's shoes.

This one tried to take my blouse off!!!

I took Sheree and her son, Kyle to the local Mexican restaurant, Mexico Tipico.  This is Kyle's real expression when he saw his fajitas delivered.

My Expresso Burrito, which I can usually only eat half of.

And here is Sheree enjoying her Tortilla soup.

I've had alot of visitors this summer.  Next weekend it is my two neices, then a couple of girlfriends whom I worked with mmmmmmmmm, many years ago.  Let's just leave it at thatl.

Yarn Production

I hate to complain about our weather, when everyone in the east half of this country seems to be suffering from record heat, but it is wet and humid here, and I'm getting tired of this.  I wish I could send the rain to Colorado to put an end to those awful fires.  And the coolness to you in the East.

I have all of my windows and doors open to try to get some air, and I have spent my day carding wool to spin.

I borrowed my friend's drum carder, since mine are toast.

Here it is, with a supply of fiber to comb.

Here is the container full of fiber that I dyed a couple of months ago. 

I'm having fun blending colors and am looking forward to seeing the yarn I make out of these "roulags".

And here is the latest yarn I am spinning.  What a little workhorse my spinner is.  My yarns are selling well, so I need to pick up my production.

This skein is the last one I finished, made from whatever was left on my bobbins.

What is Your Purpose?

I know many of you will remember the vintage quilt I acquired and have been researching for the past three years.  I traced the origin of it to my very own church!!!  Today, during the service, I will be presenting the quilt to the Nooksack Christian Fellowship.  The woman for whom this friendship quilt was made was from Montana.  She and her family of 10 traveled to Nooksack to attend a Tent Revival at the Campground in Nooksack.  They fell in love with the area and bought a farm nearby.  In 1931, Etta Aldrich realized she could no longer run the farm by herself after her husband had died and her children were all raised.  She made the decision to move to Port Angeles to live with one of her daughters.  This quilt was made by the members of her church and presented to her as a farewell gift.

I am so glad to have a home for it, and have found it a true honor to have visited the past and learned so much about the history of my area and those who settled it.

And now Nooksack is 100 years old and I am the chairperson of the Nooksack Centennial Celebration.  My, what a circle of life.  How did this all happen?  Certainly not by coincidence.

Now in a more serious note, my week in Hawaii provided me with some extensive relaxation and introspection.  It was a good time for me to review my life and see if I could come up with a plan for my next chapter.  A week later, I came to the realization that I have been so distraught and desperate because I had no purpose in my day to day life.  I have always had important rolls in my work and personal life, and now I find myself unfulfilled.

Yes, I have many friends, and I am involved in many activities within my community, but somehow this does not give me direction.

Many of you are familiar with Empty Nest Syndrome.  I never had to deal with it, since as soon as my boys left home, we acquired alpacas, and all of my energy was immersed in them.  Those years with the alpacas were my Glory Days.  I built a successful business, I practiced animal husbandry, and took great pride in the accomplishments I achieved here on the farm.

Now, with the loss of my husband, and the sale of my alpacas, I am overwhelmed.

I have had a hard year and a half, running away from my fears, acting impulsively, looking for something to fill this gaping hole in my life.  As Oprah would say, my "Ah Ha Moment" has given me clarity and a goal.

As usual, I talk to everyone I can about my concerns, and of course I pray.  God has not let me down and direction is coming my way.  I have been contacted by a local organic farmer regarding a really special program that I may be able to get involved in.  I also have some volunteer work lined up.  I can't disclose at this time what the particulars are, but I will be sharing them with you as they come to be.

KoOlina, Place of Joy

 I was in Hawaii for the wedding of my niece, and what more appropriate place than one named KoOlina, the Place of Joy.  My brother officiated, and he delivered such a moving message, he had even the men in tears.  He's an amazing man, and I'm so happy to have him for my brother.

 He showed a few of us this picture before the ceremony, but here is the story.  When my two nieces were 6 & 4, they dressed up as brides and went downstairs to tell their Mom and Dad this story.  "We love you Mama, and we love you, Papa, and we love our home so much.  When we grow up, we are going to get married and have lots of children and live here with you."

This is the site of the wedding.  Actually, it rained shortly after the ceremony, so food and dancing was moved to a grass shelter by the beach.  A more fairytale setting could not be found.

Here I am with my son Michael on the left.  He's the only one there wearing a tie, but it was appropriate since it had tiny hula girls all over it.  I must have packed for this trip 10 times.  I bought three dresses, too them all back, and wore this one I already had.  I took half the stuff out of my suitcase before I left, and glad I did.

Earlier in the day I went to one of the activities the resort puts on.  This was Bingo and Sundaes.  I had the worst card, but did enjoy about 1/4 of my Sundae.  It was HUGE.

The next day, I learned to make a lei out of leaves from the Ti plant.  As we got started, I realized it was the same as spinning!!!  You just do it with your fingers.

Then, a couple of nights later I learned to braid this headband out of leaves from the Coconut tree.  A big, burly Samoan man who is a dancer with the Fie Fie performance helped me.  I was all thumbs.  I will write more about Fie Fie tomorrow.