Tuesday, May 11, 2010

so.. what's going' on?

After a few days of "farm week", it was time to get back to the farm and back to house work. To date, I am quite certain that we won't be moving in on time, and will more than likely be spending a couple of weeks back in the little camp... but there's always hoping that we won't have to. Still, there is much to be done, and the time is speeding by!!!! But, I also have come to the fact that I can't let "life go by" just because we have this house to finish, so the days I take off to do things like "farm week"... well. that's just the way it is.
Now, this doesn't mean that I haven't done anything. In fact, the master bath is now all painted, and two of the closets are done. And the window in the mudroom is now all primed and ready for "real Paint". Course, choosing that color.... well, it's a project all to itself. Painting window is.. quite frankly... a pain in the neck. It took me nearly two hours to do this one window (including the "panes")... in two hours, I can get a whole room done!!!!


I "hate" to think of the number of windows we have!!!! And this is just the prime coat... there will still be two finished coats... ugh... let's not think of that... I will just concentrate on one room at at time!!!!!

Sunday, was Mother's Day. Last year, we all went out to "brunch" and so Kas made reservations for us to do that again. We met up with the "Flagg" side of the family - and Uncle Bill - and had a grand meal together. This was at a local country club.. the meal was wonderful!!!!



And it wasn't just "Mother's day" for me.. but this year... Grandmother's Day as well. Abbie is getting to be quite the "ham" with the camera... we say "cheese".. and this is often the look we get!!!!
Now, I haven't said too much about this just yet.. but my very dear friend Linda is here from New York state... visiting with us for a whole week!!! So, the past couple of days, I have had so much fun talking and being with her!!!! (and thanks Linda's family for letting her come!!!!!) Linda spent Mother's Day with her family... but today, I had her all to myself....


We started the day out at the local quilt shop. I haven't been back to the shop since the day I took Kelli there to "pick out her quilt".. so it was so much fun to be back again and see what new things have arrived. It makes me all the more anxious to get my sewing room up and running!!!!



Now, aside from having some quiet time to herself, Linda is also on a fact finding mission. She and her family have alpaca and Linda is a spinner. She processes all her fleece by hand (a huge job) and has been looking into the idea of setting up a "mini process mill". There are a number of these small mills here and there around the country, and it seems that there is a need for them. Often the smaller farms of animals don't have a way to process small amounts of fleece so these "mini mills" are a real help to them.
Unknown to me, one of these "little" mills in nearly in my back yard!!! It's an alpaca farm as well, and I was pretty excited to go and see it. Linda, Sadie , Abbie and I went to check it out after our visit to the quilt shop.



It's quite a place!!!! And the owners were so excited to show it off to us. This is the storage room and all these bags contain "fleece" that are waiting to be processed. The owner thinks that this is at least six months of work waiting here, and that's not even thinking about this spring shearing!!!!








These are the drying racks that the fleece sit on after being washed. Once dry they are then "carded"... and processed from there. I don't really know all the steps... but there seemed to be a machine for each one.






The fleece can be "stopped" at any step.. so if someone just wanted their fleece washed.. the "mill" will only do that. Or if they wanted it done just to the "carded" stage, they will only go that far.. but... it can be done up to the "completed" made into knitting yarn stage. This is the machine that makes the skeins of "finished" yarn.








Course, we couldn't just see the mill... we had to visit with the animals as well. I think alpacas are so cute!!! and they seem much calmer and "nicer" than llama. Linda and her family love their alpaca (they have five of them!!)











Abbie found them fascinating!!! and she just looked them all over. (they are kind of funny looking after their shearing!!!)






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The funny thing is, the alpaca were pretty curious about Abbie as well. Many of them came right up to her and looked her all over as well.
Linda got a lot of good information to take back to her family/farm... and who knows?? there might be another "mini mill" on her farm one day....








Sunset on Sweetgrass Farm and the close to a very fun and interesting day. Days like this remind me of why we made a move to our farm.. and I just can't wait to be settled in to this house!!!!!