A memorial of a well lived life

My son Jared (who I'm sure has been around the great wheel of life several times) is a wise and beautiful little soul. When we were talking about how we wanted to remember Scamper Jared decided we would plant a tree. A fruit tree that would bear flowers and fruit and carry on long after we're all gone. He explained to me that we needed to write wishes and memories and attach them to the tree so they could float up to heaven to her and people here would know this is Scamper's special tree. He told me "life goes on mommy and so does a tree just like our souls which go on forever. Scamper is always here with us. Her tree is part of the earth and the sky just like she is." Can you see now sometimes why I feel overwhelmed and completely incapable of being his mother.

Something actually fiber related!

I know I know shocking isn't -she actually DOES something will all the fiber she's amassed here. Today's project was finishing off a silk fusioned silk cap formed over a bowl. When dried it was embelished with handspun angora-border collie yarn for the brim with a jaunty little floral embellishement made from needle-felting and then embroidered onto the hat. Its my entry for this years St Distaff competition here -the theme this year is "St Distaff in Fashion."
I'll post a picture of my model in residence "Lindsay" later on!

Scamper July 31, 1991 - April 21, 2007

IF IT SHOULD BE

IF IT SHOULD BE THAT I GROW WEAK

AND PAIN SHOULD KEEP ME FROM MY SLEEP,

THEN YOU MUST DO WHAT MUST BE DONE

FOR THIS LAST BATTLE CANNOT BE WON.

YOU WILL BE SAD I UNDERSTAND,

DON’T LET GRIEF THEN STAY YOUR HAND.

FOR THIS DAY MORE THAN ALL THE REST,

YOUR LOVE FOR ME MUST STAND THE TEST.

WE’VE HAD SO MANY HAPPY YEARS,

WHAT IS TO COME CAN HOLD NO FEARS,

YOU’D NOT WANT ME TO SUFFER SO,

THE TIME HAS COME TO LET ME GO.

TAKE ME WHERE MY NEED THEY’LL TEND,

AND PLEASE STAY WITH ME UNTIL THE END.

HOLD ME FIRM AND SPEAK TO ME.

UNTIL MY EYES NO LONGER SEE.

I KNOW IN TIME THAT YOU WILL SEE,

THE KINDNESS THAT YOU DID FOR ME.

ALTHOUGH MY TAIL ITS LAST HAS WAVED,

FROM PAIN AND SUFFERING I’VE BEEN SAVED.

PLEASE DO NOT GRIEVE IT MUST BE YOU,

WHO HAS THIS PAINFUL THING TO DO,

WE’VE BEEN SO CLOSE, WE TWO, THESE YEARS

DON’T LET YOUR HEART HOLD BACK ITS TEARS.

FOR I AM NOW IN A BETTER PLACE,

AND WILL BE WAITING TO SEE YOUR HAPPY FACE.

SO WHEN YOU CROSS THAT FINAL BRIDGE,

LOOK FOR ME ….

I’LL BE STANDING NEXT TO THE FRIDGE.

Goodbye my friend -till we see each other again

Happy B-Day Jared!!!!!

Heehee - 9 years old and ready to rumble -bet he could take both his dad and I out on the paintball field -he's that fast! and smart too :)
Jared is my first human baby - he was extra special as I thought I'd never be blessed with children but here he is. He was due to be born on March 31st but held on, and on and on till April 16th at 11:04 pm. He came screaming into the world with both hands ready to grab hold and hang on tight.
Happy birthday Big GUY!!!!! May you be blessed on this earth for many many years and may you know as much happiness as you and your sister brought me!

Meet "Java"

Back from the Fulton NY rabbit show with lots of news and new bunnies and things. Was pleased with the comments and condition of the rabbits I brought -now if only their coats were'nt coming off!

Registered 4 rabbits including my new black NZ herdsire -love black and blue New Zealands and this boy will go nicely with that. also bought a stunning new broken red satin angora doe from Joan Hastings -the breeder who is working very hard to get these beautiful animals accepted with the ARBA.

Of course the absolute highlight of the trip was picking up our new baby "Java". Maggie and Matt of Bundaflicka Farms - http://www.maggiesfarminc.com/ graciously gave us this puppy. Isn't she stunning! There isn't a more beautiful dog in the world except for my Scamper of course! She's quickly discovering the benifits of the household -two kids to fawn attention on you, a big bed to share with two people (under the blankets of course) and two cats to chase around when the mood strikes. Scamper has decided she's to be tolerated unless she tried to take Scampers sleeping bag -she will NOT share that! Scamper is fading as the days go by -she's 15 going on 16 but its still hard to picture her not being here. I know she'll teach Java all she needs to know about this household though -she has been top dog too long to let a little thing like a puppy change that!

Brooklin ontario First show of the Season

We're back!!!! Its spring and that means rabbit shows We headed for to Brooklin yesterday with three French angoras -its spring and everybody has blown their coats! Out of 15 French we won best junior coloured doe and best senior coloured buck. We then took BOS and a leg for Windwater's Sampson our new herdsire!! Also won BOB Rhinelander with George but he was the only one there Had a great afternoon clerking for Don Haveliek the judge who is a wealth of information. There was 328 rabbits shown with 8 being rare breeds! Awesome!
Picked up an American Sable buck (very neat breed) who is getting trasported to Fulton to be swapped for a new black NZ buck .

Happy B-day to my little" girl

Well time has gotten away from me again. 5 years old -how can this be??? It seems only yesterday my baby girl arrived and now ............holy cow.
She's bright, sassy and beautiful of that I have no doubt. She's opinionated and stubborn - I have NO IDEA where that came from but she's all ours and we love her to death.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my princess!!!!

Tried to get her in motion but the only way to get a pic of this little whirlwind is to wait till she conks out!

Fibre gorgeous fibre!!

I LOVE agouti angora and here's why :) Check out the gorgeous natural colour in this french angoras coat - it spins like a DREAM! and the colours lovely!. Its that time of year again -shedding coats everywhere, a reluctant owner waiting to make sure this thaw means the weather will change for the warmer and not freeze "nekkid" bunnies -they hate the sweatshirts we made for them and chew them off. And of course the shows are just starting! Which means anybody who had a half decent coat must now decide to chew it or blow it entirely . But the fiber artist in me loves the shedding -means more fiber to spin and play with!

New Friend coming to stay!

Our good friends Maggie and Matt at Bundaflicka Farms website - http://www.maggiesfarminc.com/ are letting us have one of their rescue puppies!!! "Santa" the brindle up front is coming to live here at Cornerstone Fibres. She is a lab/rottie cross and just the thing for a household with two active children and a mom who needs a walking partner Scamper at 15 does NOT do the walking routine at all. And I'm told she'll even help me clean up the rabbit shed

Thank you so much Maggie and Matt for letting us have her -she'll be treasured! And check out Maggies new website - very cool and lots of neat fibery things on offer there!

My Xmas present at 7 weeks

Here he is in all his glory -EMMERSON my Xmas day baby -he's stunning! He already knows he's special and comes when he's called. His coat is beautiful -long and silky with a real German texture and three coats present.
Can't wait to breed him to the German girls I have here.

Happy Valentine's Day to all the loves of my life :)

Yes its's true my husband is crazy -I'll admit it You'd have to be crazy to put up with me, two kids, the mistress of all she surveys border collie aka Scamper, two cats who KNOW the house exists only for their pleasure as well as more fiber, rabbits and travel than any reasonable person should have to deal with. But does he complain?.......alright don't answer that, but I know this I am loved! And for that there is no greater blessing in my life. For 11 years now and still going strong he has been my rock, my centre of my universe and my reason for going on.
I have other loves too -the above mentioned kids both two and four legged, the business that is still more of a dream than a living , other family both near and far away as well as friends who make everyday special.
To all of you I say THANKS fro being both my friend and my support.
Happy Valentine's Day to you all!!! Smile and know that somebody thought of you today and smiled :)

Jazzy Dyesigns by Jared - GREAT news!

Jared's tuly original designs when it comes to dyeing are well know among the spinning community here but recently we have been givien a great opportunity -Jareds rovings are now being carried by the local Wool-Tyme store!! They originally were part of the needlefeltiong area but thrum knitters have also taken to his colours with a passion. I'm so proud of my soon to be 9 year old -his rovings might just pay his way to university someday
His latest creations are now dried and tagged in 4 ounce lots ready for the public.

New Babies!!!!

Yep poor little beggars are coming in the ice and snow -but they're mommas are FANTASTIC!!!! Wonderful deep nests full of fat healthy little "sqeakers" -10 arrived yesterday via Sommerhill's Calypso (registered black golden steel) out of Windwater's Sampson (broken lilac( -picture to follow -right now NOBODY is silly enough to try to take her babies away from her - she's very territorial (read welding gloves). Also had two litters of New Zealand meat bunnies =6 to one and 8 to the other.
Fiber saw the dyepot this weekend as Jared let loose with some new projects -my personal favorite involves neon food colouring :) They;re hanging to dry so the bathroom is very colourful to say the least. Also we'll soon be carrying a fabulous line of bamboo knitting needles and crochet hooks - can't wait for the big order to arrive!

For the Love of Wood

My father in law runs his own woodworking business called For the Love of Wood -and he is very talented at what he does. His workmanship is amazing. . He recently got a lathe and has taken up the beautiful art of Woodturning. He has started making drop spindles for me to carry -solid hardwood and absolutely stunning.
Here's the first three completed ones:

Butternut, Cherry and a stunning combination of Walnut,Oak and Cherry Wood striped. He also made me this exquisite little bowl out of Butternut which will be used to hold my business cards at the various shows and events we will be attending this year. If you are interested in one of the one of a kind works of art please contact us! More pictures will be added as the spindles arrive.

Lindsays pride and Joy

Well Lindsay finally got her wish -her blue/fawn harlequin mini-rex doe Echo had babies - 5 beautiful healthy babies 3 REWs and 2 blue/fawn tris. she was bred back to her dad T's BJ -registered REW 2 GC legs. The oen tri is spoken for to to a great youth breeder who is working on dilute tris actively. Now to convince somebody that they can't all stay They are awful cute though but hard to get to stay still for their photo opportunity!

2006 - A year of friends, fiber and Fun!

Well here we come to the end of another year - lots of mememories come to mind but there is not enough pages to share it all with you. Needless to say I feel blessed to end another year with my family here in good health, my hubby of 11 years still by my side, my kids sprouting and blooming before my eyes. Life is good.

Cornerstone Fibres/ Rocky Meadow rabbits had another great year -allowing me to pursue my dream in a quiet way here at home I'm pretty easy to please -hand me some fiber to spin or a bunny to cuddle and I'm happy! Only problem is that as the new and exciting fiber coems in I want to keep all of it and spin it all up - lovely!

There are so many wonderful people who have shared the time with us -friends both near and far away, that I can't name them all but there are a special few I need to thank here:

Peggy -barn manger extrordinare -everybody needs a Peggy in their life but hands off this one is mine -she won't let em put her picture here and she's scary so she wins this round :)

Maggie and Matt at Bundaflicka Farms -I forgot to thank them for letting me use their booth at Rhinebeck to house bunnies -and Maggies soap and butter creme for the hands makes my days pleasurable! Here's her link - warning once you get Maggies soap you can't go back to the "other" stuff :)
http://www.maggiesfarminc.com/totes.html
Maggie you need to let me know what colour satin bunny to bring down for you this year!

Katie and Stacey at Cody Hollow Satins - Katie is one of the "BEST" youth breeders you will ever meet -her Harlequins are stunning!

All of the NYS Angora club group -they're all fabulous and so much fun at the shows!

So what does 2007 hold -nobody but the good lord knows but whatever happens I'll approach it with delight and wonder - as I said Life is good - how can anybody ask for more that what I have been blessed with -welll......if i won the lottery I could buy more fiber now couldn't I??

Plans this year are to expand the fiber lines, continue developing the rabbits - everytime I turn around there is more colours and patterns in angoras that I THINK I need -I really think I NEED a tricolour or a tan pattern or two and just enjoy life itself :)
Peace all!

Look what Christmas brought me :)

NEW Bunnies -is there any better gift that healthy happy fat sassy babies? Well maybe but this is what I got and I am so blessed.

Litter #1 arrived early via our white satin angora doe bred to a lilac buck - 6 fat shiny babies whos colours cover a huge spectrum -chestnut, black, Ruby eyed white, lynx, opal and lilac - wow! Talk about genetics in action here!

Litter #2 arrived on Chrsitmas Day to our registered Giant Doe Emily bred to a half Giant/half French broken lilac buck who we call Crossfire. 4 of the most beautiful babies ever -2 chocolates, a black and a broken black of spectacular proportions!
He/she will be staying here unless somebody really really tempts me to part with it

HUGS all

A Blast from the Past

Here's a blast from the past - 5 years ago on this day :) Jared andhis best Buddy "Boston" our first German Angora. Boston has since left us to go up across the Rainbow Bridge -but his spirit lives on -and his offspring for that matter Jared has gotten bigger too and more rabbit savvy by the day -but he's never had another buddy so dear to him as the big white fluffball who would play soccer and fetch for him!

My Best Girl -Scamper

I know I know its been a while since I updated the blog - Bad blogger BAD!! But it wasn't my fault really its all my sidekick Scampers fault -she kept me busy feeding her treats and taking her for walks I swear! For thiose who don't know my best girl this is Scamper who turned 15 this year. I know our time is growing shorter together so we try to spend some time just the two of us every day. She's been my best friend and confidante for most of her life. I got her when she was 14 weeks old and its all Daryl's fault. We weren't even dating at the time -we went to drop off supplies at the local shelter and there she was. She came bouncing out to meet us and when I told her she couldn't go home with me she sulked and head down went back into the little dog house she was living in. she laid her head down on her paws and sighed and gave me the saddest little eyes you had ever seen. Daryl told me she wanted to go home with me but my mother had a no dogs policy. So off she went to live at my then boyfriends apartment. 2 years later when we broke up I convinve my mother the dog was the lesser fo the two evils between the ex and the dog so she ame to my parents to live. There were "rules" that were to be abided by -no feeding at the table, no dogs on the couch and etc which of course did not apply to Scamper! When Daryl and I got married she came with us and because "best dog" at our wedding and later "big sis" to both the kids. She still rides herd over all of us. She's getting stiff in the hind end (aren't we all) and developing cataracts but until the very last she's here to stay! There will never be another one like her - she's special in so many ways!

Colours for a Rainy Day

Thought today would be a GREAT day to photo some of Jared's latest dyed masterpieces :) He's so creative with the colours and I love it all -too bad I can't keep all of it. Of course I feel the same way about the bunnies -all the little ones have gone to new homes -well I do have one little German buck left but otherwise its time to start planning for the spring . The pitter patter of little bunnies is too much to resist. We do have 6 new jersey woolies here -4 broken and 2 solids who are just over three weeks old. Picture will be coming soon......anybody looking for a new fiber friend??? Spring litters will hopefully include:

Satin Angoras - PRT's Mint (REW to be registered) x Davises Fuzz (lilac to be registered)
French Angoras - RM's Maddy (registered broken lilac 2 GC legs) X RM's Northstar (REW to be reigstered in spring -carries chin and steel genetics)
English Angoras- RM's Noelle (VM Black) X Desired Haven's Michigan (registered Sable Pearl)
Giant Angoras RM's Emily (Registered 11lbs) x Smith's Sir Lancelot (amazing chinchilla buck 25% new German import lines)

Other than that Cornerstone Fibres will be posting some fiber sales just in time for the holidays -any suggestions of what you'd like to see on sale?

Bouncing off to play Teaparty with the 4 year old Diva in the making!