Fishing with Nanny and Poppa

Kids had a real treat last night. Nanny and Poppa asked them to go fishing at a friends trout farm. Yummy!!! And so exciting for the kids to pull in a BIG one!
Here's the pics.
Arent' they just the cutest kids you have ever seen. Their cousin Brandon came as well -he turns 14 this March and is turning into a real heart-throb.
The other handsome fellow is Peter who has lived with Daryl's parents for over 20 years. He's like Daryl's kid brother and is a very special part of our family.

First Day of School!

It's that time of year again! Time when once again I am forced to admit my kids are growing way faster than I can hold them back. Jared is 10 now a powerhouse baseball player and still the dyewizard of Cornerstone Fibres. he's going into Grade 4 this year under a modified learning program to help him with his literacy problems. Thank God for teachers who listen and help you with your kids! Lindsay is off to Grade one -full time days! She's an opinionated bueatiful little girl who God help us all will be challenging her teacher as much as she is challenged.
Thank you to all who help eductate, drive our kids safely too and from school, clean up after them and help plan to make them better and learn more effectively! God bless you all!!! We as parents need all the help we can get ;)

2 Looms and 2 Spinning Wheels for Sale

Hi All:

Its time to make some room in the house. All prices are negotiable -
I CAN ship items or arrange delivery to Rhinebeck NY Sheep and Wool
Festival in October:

Country Spinner Spining Wheel - a HUGE wheel great for plying or
spinning bulky. Bobbin holds over 2lbs of completed yarn. Single
Treadle.
Asking $325

Louet S-75 Single treadle -an older model but a fantastic wheel.
Solid maple wood construction. Comes with three bobbins and lazy
Kate.
Asking $375

Large Inkle Loom -handmade but works awesome!
Asking $30

LeClerc 4 harness Table loom Dorothy 15 3/4"
Wonderful compact loom - in excellent shape.
Asking $250

Photos of all equipment can be sent to you upon request. Prices do
not include shipping but delivery to Rhinebeck is FREE.

Bunnies for Sale

Well after a fabulous spring and summer there are few bunnies left for sale here at Rocky Meadow Rabbits. We have one satin angora buck -tort, one Jersey Wooly (registered smoke pearl), one German Hybrid (broken Black) and 4 French angoras left to sell - 2 sable bucks, chocolate agouti buck and a really smart broken sable doe who might still stay. Here's some pics of the available bunnies.

Getting ready for the fall shows

We've been busy here trying to get ready for fall shows -not very sucessfully mind you. Today I finally finished my first hat/scarf set of 100% pure angora -handdyed, spun and knit. Lindsay was my reluctant model - I mean how rough is it to stand and look cute :)
I hope to make a few more and some of my long scarves -mine gets rave reviews everytime I wear it!

Time and Friday

Here's new bunny number one Fuzzies Timely Manner AKA Time a stunning smoke pearl doe from Sue Needles along with her soon to be boyfriend RM's Friday the 13th a rich and deep sable buck. Both will be shown this fall as juniors and then clipped down to get ready for the 2009 Angora Nationals ~~Here's two promising and amazing French Angoras we're proudly housing and breeding at Rocky Meadow Rabbits.
We also aquired Fuzzies Class Act -an amazing junior REW Doe and Fuzzies BCB a really nice blue pointed white buck.

Back from the Dog Trials

We're back after the fun and the rain (laugh). What a action packed three days -busy too. We cheered not only the dogs on but the 4 sheep to shawl teams as well. We bid (unsucessfully) on the shawls -the highest one sold for $225 I believe. Kingston my hometown girls placed second!!! They had an amazing desing with green and dark natural fleece -very striking. All the teams seemed very happy to spend the GCs we had donated for prizes. Its always fun to have 25 spinners and weavers at your booth at one time :) Of couse Jared's dyed items were hotly contested and fought over.
The Kingston Handloom Weavers and Spinners also ran demos all weekend long -here's Mary teaching tow young men the joy of spinning. They were very enthusiastic to learn all about it! Drop spindle kits were a huge seller this weekend and I gave lessons to get them started all weekend long.

The trials themselves were won by Amanda Milliken (fom Kingston) and her incredible dog Ethel. it had to be a run worthy of a film. They have to gather 10 sheep run the course then gather 10 more to finish the fist part. They then have to seperate 5 sheep with collars and send the rest over the hill. You then finish by penning your 5 collared sheep. Well did we ever get a show!! Amanda and Ethel had sucessfully shed off 14 of the sheep needed with one rebel left. This sheep left the group and returned twice before they sent her off. We thought she was done but oh no down the hill she trucked -JUMPING over Ethel who rightly hit the ground. The sheep then attempted to kick her with a rodeo horse worth kick. Amanda yelled at Ethel who got up off the ground looked at the sheep and then at her as if to say "can you see what I am dealing with here." Amanda stopped yelled "sorry" and away they went again to get one of the few pens of the day! Ehtel is coming on 10 and I know without a doubt that girl could do the whole run herself but its still wonderful to see true partners on the field.

I love going to Grass Creek -its so wodnerful to be a part of it all -but its nice to come home too. Today I'm off to get three new French angoras -and I remembered to charge the camera so new pictures of them will be up shortly!

Let the Sheep Dog Trials begin!

They're off and running and so are we. The 20th annual Kingston Sheep Dog trials start for us tomorrow. There are over 120 dogs running in this finishing off in the
exciting and thrilling double lift championship on Sunday. The dogs started their runs on Wednesday -crappy weather for them -poor things and mean mean nasty sheep. The sheep are run wild on Waupoos Island and never see a dog till the trials -they rerally make the dog and handler work. We'll be there Friday through Sunday manning the booth, fighting over who gets to watch the dogs (laugh) and cheering on the 4 teams at the sheep to shawl cometition on Saturday. More pictures to follow as events unfold. I love watching the dogs run -makes me miss Scamper -not that she would ever deign to herd sheep -she was above all that :)

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......

We only have one Dog really ;)

We often get phone calls from treed hydro men or gas readers who cannot figure out why they gate is closed with a "Dog on Loose" sign. We are often asked to contain both our dogs....but we only have one we reply -the other one only comes to visit LOL.
Our neighbours dog Zigi -a stunning Hungarian Viizla and Java our own maurading baby have formed a deep friendship. they were not content playing side by side at the fence so we now have a dog friendly pass through in the fence so they have free run of both yards.
Of course this means we must be free to throw balls and toys and provide treats for the "kids". Here they are - aren't they a pretty pair??? We worry if the neighbours ever leave and they have said the same. Both dogs are inseperable -they mope when they are not together :)

BASEBALL!!!!!!

As I said in my previous post both kids are into baseball. Jared plays Kingston Thunder Mosquito division and is a member of the "Blue Jays". Lindsay is playing Kingston Thunder Timbit Tykes and is on the Orange team. They both wear the number 7 jersey! Daryl is convenor of the mosquito division and I got volenteered (read shanghaied) into the convenor of Tykes -oh well at least we know what is going on at the meetings LOL. The kids love it so we're happy to be able to help out and make it possible for all the kids to play.
Here they are ready to play -are they not growing WAY too fast?? Their cousin Brianne is always ready to head out to the ballpark and cheer them on :)

First Capital Days here in Kingston

We've been busy here both at the house and on the road. Sunday I went down to the Jefferson Sheep and Wool Festival in NY at the stone mills ag museum -beautiful location to see but not much in sales I'm afraid. The cost of gas is so crippling.
Monday I took part in my guilds spinning and weaving demos at First Capital Days at Market Square. Kingston was the first offical capital of Canada until it was moved to Ottawa. Lots of demos and the Fort Henry Guard were out in their stunning red tunics "recruiting" the kids into Her Majesty's Army LOL.
Here's me in my costume with Doreen Jeffers a fabulous spiner and wonderful guild instructor. Doreen is loads of fun to be with all day!
This Saturday I'm off to the annual Distaff Day celebrations in Almonte.
On top of that we have ball 4 nights a week -Jared plays two nights and practices one. Lindsay plays one night. Can we say busy????

No pictures we're NEKKID!!!!

Well it was hair or is that hare cut day here at the barn -EVERYBODY got clipped or plucked down to the skin -its just too hot!!! But there is no sadder or funnier sight that a NEKKID Bunny -too bad the camera batteries died. Oh well they're much better and cooler now thats what matters.

Silk Glorious Silk!!!

Here's the latest from the dye wizard Jared -silk caps!!! Colour and texture to "dye for" LOL. Can I keep them all??? Some of them look dull but when you get them close up the colours are incredible!

Jared's new rabbits!!!!!

He's so excited he had to take the pictures himself -I pointed out he wouldn't be in the pictures but he was more excited to run the camera than to pose for it. Fortunately the Diva was more than willing :)
Here's Jareds two newest bunny friends brought back to us by a fellow Rhinelander breeder here in Ontario from Top Note Calico Rabbitry in Michigan. Thank you to all who made Jared's rabbit dreams come true!

Intress is the doe and she's bred to an unrelated buck for a June 15th litter. She's very social and outgoing and has discovered that 10 year olds = treats and head pats. She's the one preening for the camera too -she knows she's beautiful!
Medeenu is the buck and he's a real little spitfire! The names are from Jared's favorite TV show of right now CHAOTIC. Which is why his rabbitry name is CHAOTIC Rabbitry. Hmmm I thought it was in reference to me LOL.

Anyways these beautiful Rhinelanders are an amazing breed. Want to know more ask Jared -he'd be happy to tell you all about them!

New Goodies -part two

Well i'm still going -boxes and orders are coming in fast and furious -spring is so much fun to get all the new items and rabbits coming in :)

Here's the next load of goodies:

Custom dyed ready to knit and felt tote bags - in a wide range of colours! Kit contains everything to make a bag -fibre, pattern and needles. Really fun and easy to make. Retailing at $40 Beautifully modelled by the house diva Lindsay - notice the gap -yes my baby lost her two front teeth -sigh where did my little ones go.....
We're not even talking about her older brother who went to his first dance last week -he had 4 girls call him and ask him to be their date. Do you see all the grey hairs I'm dealing with?

Ready to dye sock kits from Louet - includes three 50 gram skiens of merino yarn, dyes, instructions and pattern! Colours available are Browns, Blues, Pinks, Greens and Blues. Retailing at $35 for a kit.

more still to come........