Val's SS journal- Fair food! Yea!

valmom

Crafter
Joined
Apr 4, 2009
Messages
1,515
Reaction score
16
Points
173
Location
Vermont
I have fleece! Well- TWO fleeces!








The alpaca owner was so nice! Of course, we went out to meet the girls after we perused the fleeces. She knows who every fleece came from and how old they were, and their breeding (they are almost all her own babies). The rose fawn fleece is from a 1st year, and is so fine it feels like kitten fur. The gray one, I fell in LOVE with the color. She said it was a poorer quality and has long black guard hairs throughout it that would either have to be pulled out or would make the yarn feel coarser. And if I bought the rose fawn one, she would throw in the gray free! (she admits she isn't a good business person). So, after looking on the internet at prices, I thought I was prepared for a cost for the one baby fleece. They run $300 or so on the internet from what I could find for an entire fleece. She said is $50 OK for the two of them! (I gave her $75 and still feel like I cheated her.)

So, I am sitting here watching a History channel show on the Crusades and running my fingers through my gray fleece pulling guard hairs out. Which isn't difficult, just time consuming. And gives me an excuse to just sit here and pet the fleece. :lol:
 

valmom

Crafter
Joined
Apr 4, 2009
Messages
1,515
Reaction score
16
Points
173
Location
Vermont
YUM! I am sitting here feeling decadent- I am eating my home made yogurt with what was left in the pot from making strawberry jam. It doesn't get any more delicious than this!

I missed strawberry season last year, and it wasn't very good. It rained every day last June and July. The berries are wonderful this year, and the farmer I pick from has a new field planted last year that is open for public picking. Lovely berries!

I put up 8 half-pints and one pint jar and had a bowl left over (I can NEVER figure out how many jars to boil! The directions said makes approx 8 half-pints) so, of course I have to eat the leftover warm jam :drool

I love my days off!
 

valmom

Crafter
Joined
Apr 4, 2009
Messages
1,515
Reaction score
16
Points
173
Location
Vermont
I just can't help bragging about my homebred baby. She is all grown up *sniff* :lol: She is currently off at horsie kindergarten to be broke, and Aug 14th she goes off to her Oldenburg mare inspection. She was inspected and branded as a foal, this is to enter her into the mare book (hopefully Main Mare book, or even, heavens, Premium. Although, I think she is too small for a premium).

 

hwillm1977

Almost Self-Reliant
Joined
Nov 22, 2009
Messages
896
Reaction score
0
Points
108
Location
New Brunswick, Canada
She is GORGEOUS...

I'm hoping to breed my mare next year for my very first baby... I can't wait to watch it grow up into a stunning dressage prospect :)

Your baby is absolutely beautiful, I love her colouring.
 

valmom

Crafter
Joined
Apr 4, 2009
Messages
1,515
Reaction score
16
Points
173
Location
Vermont
I love her coloring now- I wish it would stay this way! But, she is going to gray out to white.
 

valmom

Crafter
Joined
Apr 4, 2009
Messages
1,515
Reaction score
16
Points
173
Location
Vermont
I am taking a week off from work to decompress and de-stress. So, what do I do? I have a to do list that is at 17 things and growing. :/ Including things like get the car inspected, see if I can get a dentist appt, eye appt, finish matting the stalls, getting someone to replace the door handle on our wood stove, get my SO's birthday generator installed Wed (OK, babysitting the house while the workmen install and wire), pick up more hay, move my old horse home for the winter, and TRY to clean up all the paper stuff that has to be filed, shredded or thrown out.

Wish me luck!
 

valmom

Crafter
Joined
Apr 4, 2009
Messages
1,515
Reaction score
16
Points
173
Location
Vermont
I am ready for the first harvest of the year- I got my maples tapped yesterday while I had time to do it! I only have 6 taps and buckets but today I am going to head out to see if anyone has anymore for sale- I bought these used from Agway a few years ago. New ones are really pricey, but we don't want to use the new plastic bag things they have, and we don't want plastic tubing, either. I'd like to do 10 trees this year.

The slogging through waist deep snow pack was a challenge, but I got the trail broken to the maples without anything broken on me in spite of not remembering where the stone wall was and falling over it, and tripping over many limbs and stump pieces under the snow. It didn't occur to me until I fell and had a hard time getting up in the deep snow that it might be hazardous and I should wait until someone else was home or had my cell phone with me! But, the job is done for the moment. Now we only need temps above freezing! Someday it is liable to happen.
 

glenolam

Lovin' The Homestead
Joined
Jan 19, 2011
Messages
1,747
Reaction score
1
Points
89
Location
Canterbury, CT
Congrats on the sap buckets! Hopefully the warmth that's in our area will swing up your way. It was nice this morning to step outside and not have your nose hairs freeze inside your nostrils!
 
Top