I'm not sure what's more fun, playing with toy ponies or playing with my new photo app on my phone. Camera+ is the bomb!
I have a listing, in the etsy shop, tomorrow night so I've been cranking out the baby cows this past week.
All sorts of cows..
I sure love my jobs....
I love that letter. The one that arrives with a postage stamp and waits in the mailbox at the curb. The letter that announces that new wooden toys are ready to be picked up.
Menno sent word last week, right before the holiday, that my order was ready. I got the letter on Wednesday; "Come anyday this week, the toys are ready, but don't come on Thanksgiving." That left Friday or Saturday.
I don't go anywhere on Black Friday. It kind of scares me out there. haha. That left Small Business Saturday and that's a day out with Brian. This is our third year observing the event, our second year down at Menno's home. There was a new baby in their family and Gusty was beside herself when Mary offered the baby to her for a snuggle. No pictures of the two of them though, the Amish don't have their pictures taken.
I asked Menno why and he didn't really know. Neither did Mary. 'It's the Amish way' was all she could offer, so we all shrugged and went back to making the baby smile and laugh.
Back to the toys.....we picked up all sorts of fencing, and two new barn & stable prototypes. Both of them made the cut, no pun, and will be added to the line up. He really is able to make my sketches a reality and I couldn't really pick a favorite. So I didn't.
As perfect as they were, they still needed polish. I was going to offer them as unfinished or finished, buyer's choice. The dark walnut, cherry and maple really needed a boost. All locally harvested and milled in the family mill. They needed a finish.
I've made beeswax finish before and love the recipe from Amber Dusick.
4 parts oil
1 part beeswax
I was at the farm and didn't have my big containers of oils so I used a combination of two oils; coconut and jojoba.
I also don't have a microwave, so I used a copper pot to melt the ingredients.
The oils melt before the wax....
Finally, the three are one.
Pour into a jar....
and wipe out your pot with a dry cloth.
I wipe out the pot while it's still warm, I've found it's the easiest way to clean up before teh residual wax hardens.
The polish will start hardening as it cools. To make sure it stays blended as it cools, stir it from time to time, scraping down the sides into the liquid.
I had brand new wooden spoons that needed a little conditioning, so I used them to stir everything...almost there.
There it is....
Don't be shy...
I'll let it rest for a full day before I buff off the excess, but they'll be ready to go in the shop this week.
Beautiful.
Absolutely beautiful.
I've been so frustrated with animal feed stuffs, that even I was getting tired of my lamenting. More crying in real life, than in blog, but it was becoming one of my regular rants. The price, the choices, the quality....the price.
Craig, my mentor, must have heard my whining all the way down at his farm and decided I needed a little tutelage on the finer points of old school farming. And thank God for that.
He suggested that I come down, get a pick up load of grain and he'd grind it up for me. I chased that poor man for two weeks and I was becoming worse than a fly in the ointment...or milk parlor. Finally, he said,"come Thursday." And boy was I ready to go.
Still, I got there late-ish, but was delighted that the Rochester milk group was there picking up their order for the week. It was wonderful visiting with my old friend Thomas. It'd been so long since we'd seen each other. All of us leaning on the bulk tank, chatting it up. I was beginning to realize that neither of us was all that excited about shoveling 1000lbs of grain into the grinder.
So, what were we to do? Other stuff, of course! We jumped in the mule and headed out to move the line so the cows had fresh grass for the afternoon...and then it was lunch time. Everybody's gotta eat. So we did. Nice full bellies and just like that, everyone was ready for a nap. Ugh. The grain. The oats.
So, we did the unthinkable, we decided to "hire out" the grinding to the mill. High fives all around for hatching such a great idea. Feeling energized, we jumped in Hector (that's my truck) to see how busy it was at the mill. I imagine we could have called, but it's easier to get a 'yes' in person and how could I show a little ankle (just in case) over an iphone?
No ankles necessary. It was a harvesting sort of afternoon and our order was readily welcomed at the loading dock.
Behold, a living, breathing, sighing, puffing grain mill...
We should all have such beautiful hardwood flooring. All of the years of wear and tons of fine dust had polished up the floors like a skating rink. You could tell that Craig had been here plenty, he strode down the ramp like a hockey player and I nearly landed on my back side.
We chatted around the big hopper and my base would be oats. Which as you can see, come out of the middle chute.
Once my 1000lbs was measured, it left the large hopper and headed to the basement to go through a series of screens and the grinder. From there it was shot back upstairs to go into the mixer. But before it lands anywhere, it shoots along through a bunch of tubes and tunnels and you can hear it in the walls. Then, all of a sudden you spy an unassuming little window in the door frame....Those are my oats! Look! Look! Clearly no one was as fascinated by this as I was, so I took a picture.
Off to the grinder, but we were making our own recipe so we had to weigh in some minerals and salt first.
Check out the simplicity of this scale. If the arrow is above the middle, put more in. If it's below, take some out. Got it? ha.
Off to the mixer.
Then into bags. Our bags, recycled, reused, ta-da!
Hector, my truck, filled to the brim.
What a great day.
When I was driving home, smiling about the full sacks of sweet goodness for my cattle, I remembered that I had a sale tonight too! And I was ready! No last minute photos or stitches or packages. Just push the button.
It's an amazing thing. I make these...
And these....
To feed these...
I'm so very lucky. What a great day.
Update; November 21, 2012
In my excitement to share this hidden treasure, I neglected to share the mill's location, should you even find yourself in southern Minnesota or if you're a follower nearby, looking for fair pricing on good feed stuffs.
Ellingson's Elevator
100 1st Street Northwest, Spring Grove, MN 55974
(507) 498-5190
Brian on his first trip down. Craig, in the background, showed Brian the "skating" ramps in the back and gave him a tour too. Whilst there, we got a chance to meet the owner who said his mill just made it on the National Historic Registry. What a treasure.
Putting this play-set together was SO much fun.
A little tweaking of the llama pattern and there's a giraffe.
Then a switch up with the pony mane and I had a zebra.
The back side is a little different too, lighter on the tail.
One hump, not two, please.
A zoo where everyone KNOWS the animals. haha.
Finally, after months of written letters on the finer details, Menno designed this...
Exquisite.
LOVED this one. Just loved making it.
Fried. Now that's a word. That could be an intended pun considering the egg harvests at the farm and the volume of wool eggs that rolled out this spring season. But, it's not nearly that romantic. I'm just fried, so it's time to slow it all down.
Yesterday, Brian and I did little but sit and zone-out for most of the day. Even watching TV was laborious. For the record, I took two naps and Brian cooked, which means he ordered take-out. I love to tease him about "his cooking" being the equivalent of a drive through window. But the reality is, he is an amazing cook but rarely ponies up to the stove. Because of course he's fried too.
I look all around and see these idyllic blogs and life stories and know that I've portrayed my blog in much the same way. It's my happy place, darnit, I don't want the crap to creep in here. Children have make-believe, I have my blog. So, I'm just as guilty as the next person....but I'm about to change that.
Reality check...audit. Minnesota Dept of Revenue variety. 18 months of hovering hell and I'm full up on the snail's pace of a government worker with benefits.
This is my dining room....
This has been my dining room for 18 months....
This is my dining room floor...
On Monday, we finally had our face-to-face for the audit and from our vantage, it seemed to go swimmingly and hence, the break-down yesterday. I shed my battle armour and donned a new coat reminiscent of the viral video of a honey badger....I just don't give a sh*t. Brian has color back in his face and spring never looked better.
There's been a lot of neglect whilst we forged through this and although we aren't done yet, the worst is behind us. Knock on wood. So, with slates cleared, it's time to slow it all back down. Waaaay back down.
I was going to press through the burn and try to make a final batch of wool eggs. That won't be happening. Toy making for me is a love affair, not a burden, and I intend to continue sewing love and peace into every stitch. Just look at the inspiration I have waiting for a new season;
They're zoo cages, waiting for a fresh layer of beeswax and coconut oil.
I can't wait to fill them with giraffes, zebras and camels.
I'm excited.
The garden needs tilling. Seeds need sorting. Projects need starting. The farm needs reclaiming. Chickens, Guineas and turks need ordering. Dairy cow and calves are arriving. Children need loving. Brian needs needing and so do I.
Slow.it.down.
Just typing the words makes the tension fade. Fresh face. Fresh season. I'm ready...to slow it down.
I've made little pods before, but I've redesigned it a bit, leaving the top attached.
So, I imagine it's a little hiding place in the dirt, lift up the leaf and there's your critter's burrow.
This little sweetie was hand-crafted by my friend (and distant relative, by marriage. haha) Chris at MamaRoots. I love her little wood toys and have raved about them here before....they're just a perfect handful of cuteness AND they fit inside of my pods, AND eggs.
peek-a-boo
What can I say, I'm a sucker for organization.
I just never claimed, nor will I ever claim, to be organized.
But that doesn't mean I don't try...
Organized sure is pretty, isn't it?
If I'm organized, I seem to be more productive. And that is why I keep trying.
And trying...
And trying....
grow
[groh] verb, grew, grown, grow·ing.verb (used without object)
1. to increase by natural development, as any living organism or part by assimilation of nutriment; increase in size or substance.
Ahhh 2012, I've been expecting you. C'mon in...I'll brew.
Guilty. At my age, there's no denying it now. I just don't like a lot of things. Ok, that's a poorly constructed sentence, let me try that again.
I love a lot of things. I just don't like collecting, gathering, or participating in any action that could be construed as introductory hoarding.
I stall out on various forms of keepsakes though and find myself moving them around the house trying to give them a new home. One of those things is Christmas cards.
I do love Christmas cards and I'm so grateful to be on so many people's lists...I just can't bring myself to throw them away. So, despite my minimalist tendancies, I keep them. All of them. Most of them make it into the box with the decorations, some are in their own box, and others are in a groovy wooden Rudolf card holder.
Last summer, after a torential 3-day rainfall and a missing gutter on the NW corner of the house, I had to pitch just about all of them.
What a bummer.
I decided that I needed to do something about this and try to enjoy them all year long.
I go through a lot of cardstock with my work...
You'd be surprised by just how often I have to trace out a new pattern. Just about every month, I wear out the last pattern and have to refashion a new one. More often with the pony pattern...
If done carefully, I get to read the well wishes and love from family and friends every day.
What a treasure.
I've been so far behind, on everything. Today, for the first time in months, I feel as though I'm *gasp* getting a little ahead.
There's so much to report on at the farm, but I'm going to start with most recent progess first and work backwards...
I'm working again. With fresh and renewed vigor. So much fun making fancy colored ponies and I'm going to spend the WHOLE day sewing tomorrow too. More ponies.
IHow can I spend an entire Sunday sewing? Well, that's other news; My house is clean!
I know! I can hardly believe it myself.
Earlier this week, I warned the whole family that Friday and Saturday would be dedicated to cleaning this house. Bottom to top. All hands on deck! I mean it, don't make any plans. Well there were a few hands, here and there, but I rocked the housekeeping and mama's feeling GOOD!
The big news, even bigger than being back to work and having a clean house, is that we now have COWS!
Okay, we have two calves, but they're still cows and they're mine!
It was an AMAZING adventure and worthy of it's own post. So I'll leave you hanging because I have to go to bed. But I'll be back with the whole story, with detail. Big, big adventure. squuueeeee!
