Good Morning, Horses!

Ahhh horses in the morning...and soon GOODBYE to the old barn! OK maybe not SOON but eventually and we are making progress...



Digging the trench for the water and electric to the barn...thank God for machines sometimes! This would have taken Gary and I another lifetime to dig! And today we put in the lines and got them through the foundation to the cellar to hook up the water! YAY!



Yesterday I was at an art festival and had a wonderful time seeing old friends both artists and customers--made some money (for the barn!!!), had fun...today I am EXHAUSTED...phew...
xo

Horse vs. Machine...

The guy with the excavator came today! WOOHOO!!! Even though the horses weren't sure what to make of him. He moved enormous rocks out of one of their pastures and filled in the holes. And he is using the rocks to make a road through to the pond which probably won't be passable until next year after we get truckloads of gravel and sand but it's a start. He took down the trees that were in the way of the new barn. And he is back today to strip off the sod and pull out more rocks. I swear this farm was built entirely on rock. I am exhausted from watching. Did I mention that my friend Edie brought over a couple of lawn chairs?

Enjoy! xo

Midnight Gypsy!

Here it is! Thank you Giada for the inspiration...heading out for a ride while we wait to see if the equipment is coming to dig holes for barn footers! Haven't actually heard from the guy in a couple of days but we are assuming he is still on board...Can't wait!

Have a beautiful weekend!

xo

Totally Domestic...

Oh boy the tomatoes are in and I'm processing, and processing, and processing...Actually I'm just cooking them down and putting some of them through my Victorio and presto I have juice and pulp coming down the chute and skin and seeds out the other side! Easy. But there are soooooo many. phew. And I have been cranky lately. Trying to deal with stuff. And I've been whining, I know. I'm sorry. So I've thrown myself into domestic bliss. Bread making too. Gary grinds the wheat berries for me and I mix in a little ground oatmeal, some King Arthur's flour...yummmm.

I also rode this morning and that helped though Dommie spun completely around when he thought a hawk was out to get him. Really? We are just beginning to get both of us into shape for some real work. For now, it's walk/trot transitions and trotting a lot in the field to get his head in gear then into the arena to get stronger. I tried to take a video when I was riding but it meant riding with one hand western style and Dom hasn't a clue (or he was pretending) because he walked right into some bushes when he figured out no one was steering. So that was that.



No late blight here! Thank god...


Wheat berry grinder and bread making...


Ahhhh. bread. And linguini and clam sauce for dinner. Not only domestic but getting fatter! ha!

xo

Where is everyone?

Feeling quite alone here...no one responding...no one commenting. I don't know how to answer comments except by posting here. Don't know how to send you emails connecting to my blog. I'm so low tech. My kids would laugh at me. But I read your comments and totally appreciate them! Honest.

Meanwhile I am so inspired lately. There is a story behind these colors. I was watching the cooking channel. Giada was on. She was on her way to the LA Philharmonic and I have no idea what she was cooking but her dress!!!!! OMG! It was a dark dramatic eggplant with a V-neck down to here and trimmed with a sapphire blue banding at least 1 1/2 inches wide. That was it. It was perfect. I couldn't stop looking at it. Then I searched my storeroom and grabbed anything that was close. Now I'm warping and while it isn't exactly the colors she was wearing, it would totally go with it! I'm in love!


Inspiration


Luckily, new ribbons from Webs. See previous blog!


Building my warp...

Adding a big of green and some red purple...

Finishing with some deeper eggplant...

Warp going on the loom...Tomorrow maybe after finishing the threading I can photograph the weaving!

xo

Inspiration in a box...

My still life...from Webs in Northampton, MA...favorite store. $100 worth of inspiration. Now to weave off a couple of looms to make way for the new. I'm keeping everything in the box for now because it looks so incredibly yummy!

xo

Purple Rain

Another scarf...I've been feeling somewhat better and creating! Another purple creation--seems to be my favorite color. And I've already started pulling together another scarf but first I have to weave these off and finish another 10 towels on another loom. I tend to weave one scarf and want to go on to something else (good thing I'm NOT a production weaver!). Then all my looms get filled up and I can't do any more designing until I empty them. So it's discipline this week. At least it is cooler. Also went riding yesterday but today a l.i.t.t.l.e. sore. Maybe tomorrow.

Warping mill designing...

Finished scarf...

Need to load this one onto Etsy...

Now only three more scarves plus cuffs to weave...sigh...

Hope everyone is enjoying this beautiful weekend!

xo

Pizza Night!

Had good friends over last night. I made pizza dough, laid out the toppings and we grilled individual pizzas. Ahhhh...end of the summer and the night was cool...

Alex came home in time to make his own, too...

Mark and Gary frying up some pepperoni. So much concentration!!

Leftover this morning...nuff said.

xo

Family Stuff and Barn Beginnings!

I couldn't resist taking a picture of Noah trying to scrape a decal left on his dorm window by the previous tenant! I drove him down to Skidmore, said a teary goodbye, and drove off to NH to see my Mom. Just wanted to check on her because since she came back from our family vacation a couple of weeks ago she has been thinking her house was moved. As in moved to another state or something. At the same time she was thinking this, another part of her brain was telling her that it couldn't have moved and it must be her! She is still driving though her world is shrinking down to gas station, grocery store and drs. Don't know how long they will let her keep her license though I drove with her and she did fine (drives a stick shift!), obeys all the lights, puts on her blinkers, etc. Just don't know what her reactions would be if something happened quickly. I think that she was just discombobulated from the trip to camp and back. She needs her routine. In any case, we had a nice quiet two days of visiting.

When I got home, Gary and I staked out the new barn out the back door and much closer to the house (nice in the winter!).

Unfortunately those evergreens have to go! But I'm excited to begin work! Gary is working on getting a permit and we are making a list for Lowe's. We have to call the man with the equipment to come take down the trees and dig holes for the footers. This is all too slow for me but since the heat has come back it's hard to motivate the guys I live with!



Hopefully the landscape will be changing soon and more pictures to come!

Happy Labor Day Weekend!
xo

Pancreatic Cancer

Pancreatic Cancer sucks...I just came home from a funeral. There were three of us. Chris called us the Wellness Sisters. We all had pancreatic cancer. Monday, Cindy died. We both saw her on Sunday because her husband called me to tell me she was fading. I had been on vacation and then brought Noah to school and hadn't been home to check on her. She went fast. Almost too fast to process. She was a woman of faith. Something I'm lacking, I'm afraid. Hundreds turned out for her wake and funeral. I miss her already. She was an evangelistic sort of person and I've been thinking about that all day. In her honor I'm reaching out to anyone anywhere who has pancreatic cancer. If you want to talk. If you want to cry. If you just want someone to listen and understand, contact me. I feel utterly helpless sometimes but I'm not giving up. Ever. And I'm royally pissed off.