Tales of a hopeful farmer

     There is a part of me that has always wanted land.  A chunk of forest, a piece of the prairie; not fussy, I just want land.  Perhaps it is the genes from my Iowa farming ancestors, but I love the idea of land that is mine - to use or not, to hold intrust for my children and future generations, to be able to go to when I want to be somewhere not developed to within an inch of its life.
     After much consideration and too many hours of internet searching, as well as a fruitless day driving around with a realtor, my husband and I think we have finally found a spot.  The trick was this - find a place that is not too far away so we can get to it at least twice daily to feed any livestock we might have on it.  On our street there is a small farm with horses on it which has been for sale, on and off, for a couple of years.  It was back on the market, and we went to look at it and made an offer. We are now in the (un)enviable place of signing a million papers, waiting for appraisals and inspections. Waiting for this before we can do that.  Waiting.
    It is a small farm with a small house on it and a small barn.  Once a dairy farm, the classic large, red barn collapsed some years ago and the owner built a small 6 stall barn for his horses.  There are about 64 acres, and the layout is very narrow and long.  The property is about 2 - 2 1/2 acres wide and very long. There is pasture with hills and some flat, and then forest with a stream that goes straight up hill to the crest of Franklin Mountain. All in all, it is about a mile deep.
    The waiting is killer at this time of year.  While we do not think we are going to get our sheep just yet (a few classes are in order first) we do want to get some of the fruit trees planted before it is too warm.  I am itching to order the trees, but my husband  (always the reasonable soul) thinks it might be prudent to wait until we have signed the final papers, so we are not buying a dozen fruit trees and possibly ending up with no farm to put them on. We are researching plans for chicken coops and milking parlors.  Deciding the merits of a truck over a tractor. Discussing small ruminants - sheep, definitely; goats - debating. Do we move the bees there?  Maybe - but there is a fair amount of bear activity. Should we get a guard animal for the flock (once we start it)? If so, what - a llama? A donkey? A dog?  So many things to decide, but so much that we have to wait on.

    This new adventure will also make us landlords (Auntie Lynne and Uncle Dave - I am thinking of you!).  The house on the property is too small for our family, and already has tenants in it who want to stay, so, voila! Landlords and farmers all in one. 

View from upper pasture looking down at the house(rt) and barn (left)

The View from the big hill - upper pasture

Pasture is fenced all around, only needing small repairs

Anything that has all three children holding hands is worth the money

Walking down the mountain in the stream bed

The gate at the bottom of the upper pasture

Drew by one of the amazing trees

Such great texture!

Looking down at the barn

One section of pond - somewhat overgrown

I LOVE THIS TREE!

Our view

The stream bordering the forest and the pasture

alpaca

    Last summer/fall my mother bought me three (count 'em three) garbage bags full of alpaca fiber.  There were three alpaca blankets sheered from alpacas at a nearby farm. Two are the creamy beige you think of as typical for alpacas, and one is a gorgeous dark brown.  I am ashamed to say these bags have been sitting in the laundry room for all this time, waiting for me to get up the nerve to try to spin this fiber.
    I got some advise from a spinning list  I am a part of, but still waited.   One woman told me she would spin it without any processing - without washing or carding or anything, washing any dust out afterwards.  So, I tried it.  The fiber is amazingly free of v.m. - a few pieces of hay and some seeds, but not much more.
    The fiber experience is lovely.  It is more slippery than wool, and SO soft.  I think I may be a convert.  I will never give up spinning wool - there are so many wonderful types - but I do love alpaca. If I ever get my farm, I may just have to have a few alpacas as well as sheep!

Spring Break

  I am not a person who takes breaks.  Thus, I  have to find activities which allow me to slow down  while still thinking I am "doing something."  I keep bees for this reason.  One does not go work with the bees if you are feeling jumpy and agitated.  They will become agitated if you move too fast or treat them roughly (life lesson there).  So I have to slow down to work with them.  It is good for me as well as the environment to tend to them.
   For this same reason - the need to slow down - I spin.  Not exercise spinning, but fiber into yarn. It is a relaxing task, with a tangible outcome, but it forces me to sit for a while.  I can listen to the radio, or an audio book, or just be quiet. I have not taken the time to spin in a few month.  Too many "have to" tasks got in the way.  So I took some time on this first weekday of Spring break and plied some of the yarn that I have had sitting on bobbins since Christmas or earlier.  It is not fancy - just some Icelandic wool in natural colours, but I can hardly wait for it to be dry so I can start working with it.  What I will knit it into I am not certain, but I have plans to hold a little of it out for a small weaving project I have been hatching.

the first skein is a bit more nubbly than the other two

Hanging over the dehumidifier so the extra moisture won't wreck all the books!

Show Shots from As You Like It

   I went to the theatre last night and shot over 500 photos of the show - my new digital camera is so much fun!  I have not edited any of them -  and they do need the light levels adjusted on some of them, but here are a few examples of what the show is looking like and why I have been so tired lately!  A huge shout out to Scott Segar and Matt Grenier for helping to make this set look so lovely.  You built some fun trees, guys! Thank you

Orlando being thrown by Charles the Wrestler

Charles the wrestler and Orlando

Orlando and Adam

Duke Frederick, Celia, Rosalind

A lord and Jacques 

Phoebe and Sylvius

Jacques in the forest

Touchstone and Audrey on the fabulous swing

Oliver, Ganymede and Aliena - he suspects something!!

one of Duke Senior's lords in the woods

Orlando and Rosalind - Epilogue

Audrey and Touchstone

details in the nooks and crannies

the bottom of the "touchdown" tree

Hiding the musicians we have this

My favorite tree

Some of the process

As You Like It opened on Tuesday. It looks pretty goood, if I do say so myself! Here are a few photos of the costumes in the works. Tonight is photo call for the show, so there will be some shots of the completed costumes soon.

 

 

For the Love of Books

    When I was living in Oxford, England, the most humbling event was when I was allowed to use the Bodleian Library for the first time.  The weight of the knowledge and imagination contained within the rooms of that special place was awe inspiring.  We had to take an oath in order to use the reading rooms. : "I hereby undertake not to remove from the Library, or to mark, deface, or injure in any way, any volume, document, or other object belonging to it or in its custody; not to bring into the Library or kindle therein any fire or flame, and not to smoke in the Library; and I promise to obey all rules of the Library.”
    I long to get back there to study once again.  It is glorious.  

Follow this link to see a bit of the inside of the library - as well as some other amazing book places I long to haunt!