Jazzy Jared loose again

You can always tell when Jared is bored on a rainy day - we have to dye things LOL.
8 ounce mohair roving lots and silk caps were on the menu today. He loves his colours doesn't he. Cheery and bright as the rain comes pouring down.

Heading down to Maggies Farm

Yesterday we made the drive down to a little patch of heaven on earth -Maggies Farm. We met up with all the cast and crew of Maggies blog - her grandkids Hannah and Luke, the dogs, the sheep, goats, rabbits and chickens and of course the kitties!
Kids had a grand time in the creek, in the pond and of course in the barn. Lindsay was so upset when we had to leave and asked why we couldn't have a nice house like Maggies does . We came home with so many Maggie goodies -soaps, candles and of course FIBRE! The black mohair in the bottom of the basket is so very soft and warm :) And Maggie both Jared and Lindsay want to know when they can come again -and want Hannah and Luke to come visit them here :) Lindsay also wants a goat LOL.

Maggies Farm is a wonderful place to go! You can visit her via her blog at:
http://www.bundaflicka.blogspot.com/

Here's some pictures of the day!

OHS Angora Discussion

This year the OHS master spinners program is in Belleville. One of their homework assignments is angora in all its glory. I was asked to come show off some rabbits and talk about their different fibres and structures. Of course I was thrilled and flattered -19 soon to be master spinners interested in my knowledge of spinning and rabbits. It felt good and of course the bunnies thrived under all the attention and petting. They were also facinated to see so many different colours of angora fibre -most ofthem had only every seen black white or fawn!! No at Rocky Meadow Rabbits -chinchillas, steels, brokens and more all here. Of course I do have some white and black ones too. But I love the variety of shades and tones that occur naturally in angoras.
Angora is so much fun to spin too - when i first started spinning I didn't want to waste "good" fibre so I used leftover angora -it took a while but now any fibre is easy to spin LOL.

Life is good as my friend Bill at Willow Garden shetlands always says. And it is.

I get by with a little help from my friends :)

Well after this morning and feeling down I got a lovely surprise in the mail. My dear friend and very talented potter Tammy had created some stunning mugs and I had asked her to trade for a couple. They arrived today with a darling little Raku sheep who is now sitting proudly on my curio shelf. Dragonflies are special to me whenever I have needed a boost one has appeared to send hope and sunshine and here two arrived!
Thanks Tammy!!!!

Her blog is at:

http://kalwataureshetlands-tammy.blogspot.com

check it all out she's a talented potter as well as a shepherd of stunning shetland sheep

10 years...............and I still miss you

10 years ago my Beppe left me. It was one of the hardest days of my life. She was my mentor, friend and confidant.
Growing up as a child there was no better place to be than at Pakke and Beppes house a small wartime house in Kingston with huge (at least to me) gardens in the front and back. Hours were spent just talking or watching the world grow. My grandfather was a gardener and nothing gave him more pleasure than bringing flowers to my Beppe. He loved her so very much as did I. The day he died he took me out to the gardens that were bare awaiting winter to cover them in deep snow. He looked at the house and then at me and said "if something happens to me you'll look after her until I can come to get her again". I was 13 and confused but of course agreed. 4 hours later we got the call that he had passed on a massive heart attack that happened to him on the couch sitting with the woman he had loved and cherished for 55 years.
We were both devestated and clung to each other in the dark days that followed.
As time went on so I grew always looking for her love and approval in my life.

When I got my drivers license she was the first person I chaffeured to town for lunch to celebrate. When she turned 8o we had our birthdays together (being born one day apart), when Daryl and I got engaged it was to see Beppe first to recieve her blessing on us both. Our wedding was planned carefully so that she could be a part of it -we held a small reception at the nursing home with the entire wedding party so pictures with Beppe could be a part of my day. When I found out I was going to be a mom (miracle beyond all else) she was the first to know. When Jared arrived safe and sound after a rough delivery she was the first person we took him to visit -her look of delight and joy at that little perfect life nested in her arms was more joy than I could ever know.

Three months to the day after Jared arrived she left me. I said goodbye to her that afternoon -she told me to go home and not come back. I knew she didn't want me to see her suffer and wanted it to be easier for me to deal with. My mother tells me she looked to the end of the bed and smiled and then left this world peacefully. I have no doubt in my mind that my Pakke was waiting there arm outstretched to take her to her final home so they could be together again.

I promised her I would not cry when she is gone -I cannot always keep that promise but I try to remember all the joy we shared together. When my daughter was born there was no other choice for her names Lindsay Gertrude named for her daddy and for the woman who ment so much to me. May Lindsay grow to be as beautiful and strong a woman as her great grandmother.

So 10 years later I take this time to share with you my grandmother Gertrude Jansen,
born September 12, 1902 -died July 16th 1998 at the age of 92. A truer lady there never was.

Oh no not the fleece.........

Well superior blond moment occurring here. SOMEBODY thought to soak a fleece in the washing maching and then that certain somebody thought it was laundry and ran it though the machine and if that wasn't bad enough when that SOMEBODY relized what she had done she hauled the whole wet thing outside -right into the waiting jaws of the monster baby AKA "Java". Wet stinky fleece =one happy dog rolling all over it!LOL well at least I think I saved part of it. But somebody is waiting for it to come back on the back porch. UH UH.....
In other news we have baseball photos tonight for both kids -they are loving the summertime play -swimming, climbing, and just beign kids. Our latest adventure is with two HUGE boxes in the basement -best toys ever made!
Daryl has a meeting with disability on Thursday =pray that he'll be to go back to school to retrain in a new field. He can no longer work over his head so mechanical work is very very difficult.
Bunnies are hard at work -three litters due this month and we have some darling little satin angoras and rhinelanders bopping around and having fun.

Canada Day Fishing.

We had the best time on Canada Day -we all trucked out to the family cottage for bbq, fishing, sea doo rides and fireworks. Jared has definetely inherited his namesakes fishing genes -here he is with his catches of the day a stunning 6.5lb channel cat and a gorgeous 3lb largemouth bass!!! What did I catch -nothing LOL but I had one of the best hours of my life with my dad just sitting on the dock chatting and catching nothing at all. Growing up I spent so little time with my dad -this memory will be in my mind forever as one of the best ones with him. Funny how the best moments in your life just happen......