The Wool Food Mama

puppy

pup-py

–noun, plural -pies.

1.	a young dog, esp. one less than a year old.

Meet Tug.  The newest member of the Loucks family.

Isn't he just adorable?  Well of course he is, that's what gets you through the chewing, potty training and all that comes with a 7 weeker.  ha.

Lillie dog was only mildly amused the first day and has since allowed him to settle into the hub-bub of our house.  Clicker training is going well and I suppose I should try to do some one on one work with him, but lillie seems to love the return of the clicker and treats and showing that young pup how it works, so I let her join in.  Or rather, show him up.

He's quite vocal already, as are most Aussies, but hopefully, I can figure out how to tone it down just a bit.  I never figured out how to do that with Lillie and well, 2 chatty dogs will get old....quick like. 

Growing chickens, pups and children.  I'm loving the busy house. 

vermin

–noun, plural ver·min.

1.	noxious, objectionable, or disgusting animals collectively, esp. those of small size that appear commonly and are difficult to control, as flies, lice, bedbugs, cockroaches, mice, and rats.

Seriously.  Baby gophers?  C'mon, work with me here.

I was happily sewing along this afternoon when that was interrupted by a flurry of distant squeels mixed with words that included "baby chipmunk" "find a cage" "daddy saved it" .

Hmmm, better go investigate.  There, over the always-at-the-ready aquarium on the porch, stood a weak-smiling husband,  3 children ready to explode with glee, a frantic lily-dog and VERMIN!  Cute vermin and quite young vermin but still.....vermin. 

Apparently there was a stand-off in the backyard between the skid loader and the dog.  Lily, ever obedient, refused to move and dh had to climb out to investigate and there it was all sad and pathetic and well gee we have to save it. 

I went out to the backyard to the scene of the crime and my first command (to lily dog) was find the babies....and my first question was "where are the cats?" 

That's when we found VERMIN #2 being pursued by our cat.  Gah!

Everything went blurry at that point but there was a huge cloud of hair and dirt between the dog and the cat.  I had a cat in one hand for a short time before passing it to the nearest child...then in the the other hand I had a baby gopher, still alive and quite ticked off thank you very much.  There was also something in there from Brian that included laughter and " look at master farmer, Alice Greenfingers, go!"  

We'll keep them long enough to recover from the shock, then we'll release them so our lawn mower can take a beating later this summer  and the cats, well they will be getting jingle-belled. tomorrow.

That, my friends, is how a lovely day of sewing gets shot to hell.  lol.

bread

–noun

1.	a kind of food made of flour or meal that has been mixed with milk or water, made into a dough or batter, with or without yeast or other leavening agent, and baked.

2.	food or sustenance; livelihood: to earn one's bread.

I followed a link and found myself a new hobby.  That was easy, huh?

I have *always* wanted to be a bread baker.  Unfortunately it requires a tiny bit of measuring accuracy that escapes me.  I prefer splash and dash, rather than a leveled measure.  Well, it turns out, someone else does too and they were kind enough to write a book for a kitchen hack, just like yours truly.

The book is Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day and the idea is pure genius.  Put a big pot of dough in the fridge and take out what you need each day then bake it.  Fool proof.

So I've been making bread for just 2 days and I can already see that after I achieve mastery on the technique, I'll have to alter the ingredients to our tastes and waistbands. lol. 

So, here's a link to the basic recipe and instructions.  Of course the book will have a great deal more but that should at least get you going if you're interested at all.

Happy (wool) faces.

I've been having the best time transferring ideas from the lawn mower to the studio...

These babies came out better than I'd originally imaged.  The carrot was short and plump while perfectly tapered and the pea pod worked on the first try.  That could actually be a new record, for me.  I'm usually tossing a good deal of wool while prototyping.

Now that they're finished, do I keep them together or split them up?  They look so happy all together, don't you think? ugh. decisions.decisions.

I also tried my hand at a nesting set. 

I made graduated eggs, then embellished them with embroidery and wool felt.  I got a thumbs up from Gusty on these.

Well, I have to take a break from the felting and get some laundry done.  Buzz killer. lol.

Where oh where did Katie go?

Gosh I've missed my blogging.....but I've been loving the yard work.  I have a few quiet moments here and a half-caff coffee buzz going, so I thought I'd at least get up a few progress pictures. For posterity and all. lol.

Chateau Chicken actually has a coat of primer on it, but I'll save the paint pictures for when it's completely finished....

Each progression of living quarters for the chickens has always been so much fun.  The girls always look so happy when they move into bigger digs.  I stand and watch them run and flap and do their reindeer games and it's *such* a feeling of accomplishment.  The coop, I'll admit, got a bit fancier than I intended.  But if I'm going to look at it every day, it may as well be eye-candy.  Here are the girls in their coop for the first day. 

The fence is low, but it's already been replaced with something taller and more spacious.  This was primarily so that I could move the girls immediately, when I had completed the coop.  I never said I was patient.

And another because I'm just so pleased with myself. *snort*

We're all trying to settle into a summer routine but I'm afraid that our days are filled with constant interruptions....like this.

That's one dirty cat, huh?  Merlin got into a spat with Leo cat from next door. Those 2 are constantly fighting.  Forrest was laughing SO hard.  I guess I was too until we had to clean him up.  What a mess.

Ok, I'll round this out with the sweetest news, Baby Dane turned 8 this week.  We had a fun-filled day up at Como Zoo in St. Paul.  Great animals, rides and cotton candy.  Lots of happy faces, just like this....

tomorrow I head up to the studio, for the first time in about a month.  I have such great ideas from my mind-drift on the lawn mower.  I just *have* to get it all into wool and fabric or I'll absolutely burst.

babysitter

ba·by-sit  

3.	to take watchful responsibility for; tend

Chateau Chicken is moving along more slowly than I anticipated, so I had to break from the coop and make a "day pen" for the girls. 

It's short and somewhat portable.  It also serves its purpose for getting the girls out and about for the day.  Unfortunately, my cats haven't figured out that the girls are not part of their food chain.  The playpen kept the girls in, but it wouldn't keep the predators out.  Quite suddenly, I needed a quick and affordable solution.  I needed a babysitter. 

Enter Lillie-dog. 

As you can see, they (chickens and dog) moved easily about each other and the cats, thoroughly disgusted by my corrective action, moved along with their day. 

I long suspected that Lillie-dog needed a flock of her own and she proved her worthiness just yesterday. Everyday, the kids and I hustle the girls between their night roost and day playpen, sometimes a couple times a day. So anyway, Diva bird (b*tch) got away from Madison and Gusty during one of the transfers.  I was waaaay across the yard, the cats were closing in on the girl and MY girls were *completely* flipping out.  Lilllllie!!!!  That dog charged in, sent one cat hustling through a fence and the chicken straight into a bush then held her there until I got across the yard.  All in about 7 seconds.  Girlfriend rocks.

Here's some progress on Chateau Chicken. 

This wasn't suppose to be so involved. lol.  Admittedly, my carpentry skills needed a little work...I just didn't intend to do so much brushing up on this project.  It really was suppose to come together more quickly.  famous last words. ha.

Hopefully it'll be finished before they start laying eggs.

Sore.

sore
–adjective

1.	physically painful or sensitive

I sat here for several minutes trying to sum up this entry with one word.  I just kept coming back to sore. lol.  Nothing like jumping into spring with both feet and taxing every dormant winter muscle to get a girl going. ugh.

There's a lot to be done around the yard this year and I'm pleased to report that I've knocked down 3 projects and I'm well on my way to #4.

First, I needed to hook up the (new) porch to the (old) path.  I just didn't have it in me to lay another 2 ton of quarry rock,  so when Brian suggested a pea rock path, I immediately agreed.  I wanted to use up some materials we've had sitting behind the garage tho.  So I put on my best thinking cap and came up with what, I think, were some delightful (non-traditional) paths. 

This is before, I'm standing on the porch.

And the after...the red retaining wall blocks were from an abandoned project from several years ago and the terra pots were from the shop.  I can't believe there are still more.  Brian added some pavers to ease walking in the pea rock, but I didn't realize that my photo was pre-paver until just now.  I think you'll get the idea.  I'm having a great time filling up the pots.

Total cost: 112.00 for 4 yards of pea rock and I barely made a dent.  ugh. More left overs. lol.




This next path was actually started about oh,  5 years ago. The cedar rounds are cut from a fallen red cedar tree from a construction site.  It was destined for a burn pile when I showed up with my pop and a chain saw.  I lugged those logs home and kept them for various uses over the years.  Then last year, I asked my pop to cut them into 6 inch "bricks". 

I used cardboard (which will be removed once the grass grows) to hold back the dirt and used some left over pea rock from project #1 to set the cedar bricks, , grey retaining wall blocks left over from front yard landscaping., tamp it all down.  In and out in 2 days.  It probably should have been 3 days but I get a bit obsessive. lol.  Total cost....zero. 




In between all of this I tidied up behind the garage so that I could get a real idea of what kind of materials we had to draw from.  No picture.  You'll just have to trust me that I got it done. lol. 

On to project #4...the chicken coop. 
Here's the floor. lol.  This will be almost entirely reharvested materials too.  Boy, there's a lot of stuff in the rafters of a garage.  Dane got his first wood working lesson in the middle of my carpentry follies too.  Double bonus.

This project is getting my (nearly) undivided attention now.  As you can see, our girls have feathered out and it's time to move them out of the mudroom. :o)



Ok, off for some aspirin and Deadliest Catch.  Thank goodness for tivo. 

Lantern

lantern
 –noun

1.	a transparent or translucent, usually portable, case for enclosing a light and protecting it from the wind, rain, etc.

I

I'm not done with the blue jars yet. lol.  Actually, I haven't even gotten through half of them. 

I remember years ago, when I was just starting to develop an appreciation for vintage pieces, waaay back when we still called stuff antiques.  Blue Ball jars were completely out of my price range.  Especially if they actually had a top.  Getting so many last week at the auction, for just pennies, was such a fun circle for me.  Patience.  Appreciation.  Many things.

I've put the wool on the back burner for a couple of weeks so that I can tend to some landscaping projects and gardening...and my chickens of course.  But my need to make stuff keeps cropping up, just like the dandelions in the front yard.  So, in the middle of my path-building, I stopped to make lanterns for the tree by the porch.

(forgive the shady picture.  I was having fun with the new edit features on photobucket.)

The idea is to put just enough sand in the jars so you're able to reach the tea lights with a match, yet keep the sand low enough that the heat doesn't wick too high out of the jar. Madison, the 11 year old, insists that I'm going to burn down the tree tho. eh, where's your sense of adventure.

Gusty and I had to take a break from the yard 2 days ago after she woke up with a fever.  The break was welcomed but the circumstances could have been different.  I hate that my girl was sick but this doesn't look so rough does it?



While she made dora drive around with her mama, I decided to give the singer a test drive.  Just a little dolly quilt for Gusty.

She runs like a top.  *swoon*

Terrarium instructions

Remember all those bottles & jars from the auction?  Well, I've been having the best time transforming them into moss terrariums.  The kids helped a bit but, after one or two, they lost interest.  I, on the other hand, peacefully sat and made about a dozen of them. serious therapy.

Supply List:

• Pea rock.  Rinsed and still wet
• Potting soil.
• Moss
• Dry sphagnum moss.
• Assorted spoons and skewers.
• Assorted Jars with covers

Fill a clean jar, about 1/4 to 1/3 full of (still wet) pea rock.  I use wet rock because it seems to be just enough moisture to start out the terrarium.  It's easy to over water, so I just start with wet the rock and skip watering completely.

On top of the rock, add a very thin layer of dry sphagnum moss.  It's purpose is to help keep the soil from settling into the rocks.  It's easiest if you pre-shape it. If you just push it into the jar, you'll have stray dry strands sticking out all over the place.  Take a small amount, flatten between your hands, then fold under the strays so that you have a circle of sphagnum...like a sphagnum pizza. lol.  Place it into the jar on top of the rocks.

Add potting soil, about an inch deep.

Now you're ready for your green moss.  I keep about 1/2 to 3/4 inch of original dirt attached to the bottom of the moss chunk.  If there's a small plant growth in the moss, like grass or a tiny weed, I leave it, just to see what happens.  Drop it into the jar and use spoons or skewers to position it. Once positioned, gently push it into the potting soil.  This is a good time to be handy with chopsticks.

You can add some larger rocks, marbles, or broken shards of terra cotta pots for "decoration" but it's not required of course. 

Cover and place in bright, indirect, sunlight. 

In about a day or so, your terrarium may look like it's about to rain.  I leave it be for several days and see if it adjusts its moisture content on its own.  If it still looks too wet after 5 days, take the cover off for a few hours, then replace it.

It should be wet and start regulating itself but with a new terrarium, the goal is to avoid mold growth. Once it finds its own balance, watering will be rare. 

Sources:
Pea rock.  I got a gallon bucket from the garden supply center for 40 cents but you can find it at playgrounds or pet shops too.
Moss.  Check the northside of your own house, along the foundation, you may find a little pocket of moss.  Otherwise, head for a creek bed or heavily wooded forrest.  Some garden centers will sell it too.
Sphagnum.  I raided a handful from the fake ficus tree stuffed in the corner. lol.  Also available at craft shops and garden centers. 

After they're a couple of weeks old, you should know if they're going to make it and can start sharing them with friends.  They'll live and die and change, so don't be discouraged, just plant another.

auction

auction
-noun

1.

Also called a publicly held sale at which property or goods are sold to the highest bidder. Auction fever has returned. My mom, sister and I used to frequent country auctions, back in the day.  Mom and I realized, while sitting in the warm sun of a Saturday morning, that "back in the day" was nearly 7 years ago. If the auction bill had read chenille, fostoria or just had really good pictures, the 3 of us were there.  Then suddenly you're collecting children instead of glass and a few missed weekends turns into 7 years.  Then your little get bigger and you drag them along. I stumbled on this auction bill and the old fever hit with a fury.  There was not just one vintage sewing machine, but a whole slew of them.  Amongst other things of course. While I've been doing my "just one thing" every day, I haven't been so great about sharing my success in blog.  So to make up for it, I'm taking you to a country auction... There isn't a preview day for property auctions so you have to arrive about an hour early.  This was a huge auction and we were out of practice.  We probably should have gotten there even earlier. Still, this is what you see when you drive or walk up......vintage gold. Where to start?  Anywhere.   And they're off.... Everyone is excited, even the 4 year old that just wants a chocolate donut. Restlessness settles in.  Time to look for more goods. This thing stared at me for about 5 hours....I actually tried to talk myself into it.  Not sure how I would have gotten it home in (on?) the Honda but it WAS tempting. Man, they're really making the wait for those sewing machines painful.  Time to bribe the daughter so we bought a box of buttons for 3 bucks. Finally! The machines were up and gusty wanted that "little ticket"  so she could get some more stuff. lol.   Um no.  That's my bidding card.  Hands off.  The 'chines are up.  Shuuuuuush, I can't hear the bid.  Ack. Oh geez, why is she flipping out right now?  Somehow we survived it and and my mom walked away with the featherweight 221 after a frenzied bidding war.  Like she was going to let someone else win it...ha ha ha, she laughs at danger. *snort*  Everyone was still dazed from the featherweight auction and I managed to sneak in and get the 201 for 50 dollars.   SQUEEEEE.  I was so freaking excited.  The guy set it right on my lap and I almost sunk through the concrete. It weighs a ton.  But I didn't care, she was MINE.  All mine.  mine.mine.mine.  And more of the haul.... The little girl in the front is a Kleanser Kate.  I've wanted one for probably 10 years.  She's a shaker bottle; fill it with cleanser and keep it on your sink.  Very cute and appropriately named.   I actually had to bid on a scuzzy old spittoon to get her.  She was thrown in as added incentive to bid on the spittoon.  2 bucks and I left the spittoon behind. This 5.00 toy was probably my  favorite buy of the whole day.  I set is up the minute I got home.  It's a tin filler farm thing of some sort.  I may live in the country and have chickens but I'm still a city girl so the farm terminology escapes me. ha.  Pour stuff in and it pours out the spout.  This probably barely fits into my "just one thing" category except I include mental health in my formula...and I have serious goodness coming from the transformation and repurposing of my purchases. Stay tuned....