Tuesday, November 22, 2011

A few things to admire....

I realized that I've not been posting much about fiber lately, but I have been spending lots of productive time in my studio.  I pulled together some pretty pictures, and couldn't find a common thread, so I just decided to consider them as some of the things for which I'm either inspired by, happy about, or thankful for!
 We had our last cria of 2011 born recently; this was one of our best years for healthy and trouble-free crias in our 18 years of raising alpacas!
I've been getting ready making things for some upcoming sales events- this Saturday is the Jingle and Mingle Gift Party and then on December 10th we're having Art on the Farm here at Seldom Scene!
It's still been fun getting out into the woods with the dogs every day.  It's been very wet and unusually warm, so that means lots of lichens and fungus- gorgeous!
Last week I went on a field trip with our son's chorus to Morehead, KY.  I didn't have any responsibilities in the morning, so I walked around campus and to the Kentucky Folk Art Center.  It is a really beautiful and inspiring little museum, I just love folk art!  Being on a college campus brought back a lot of good memories.
May all of you have a Happy Thanksgiving, and I hope you find lots of inspiration around you!

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Sunday, November 13, 2011

The Doodle

"Hoss" at 10 weeks old
I'm a big fan of dogs (read more here), but have limited our house dogs to one in recent years, just feeling like we needed to keep things simple with so many livestock to care for.  Munchie, our rescue shitzu, is sweet and a wonderful foot warmer, but not a great one for the outdoors.  Our daughter and I have long admired "doodle-dogs" (poodle crosses, most popular being Labradoodles and Goldendoodles), but could never get my husband to consider it until he saw one retrieving very successfully while he was hunting with friends.  We didn't hesitate to start our search for a pup, also liking the fact that Labradoodles combine two very intelligent breeds and that those bred selectively through multiple generations often don't shed.  And.... they're REALLY CUTE!

At three weeks old
We located a breeder nearby that appeared to be reputable and had a beautiful litter from which we'd get first choice.  I liked the personalities and sociability of both parents, so we picked out "Hoss" (named by our son) for his robustness and beautiful markings, and then began what seemed like a long wait until he was 8 weeks old to bring him home.

Lots of new experiences that first day, so tiring!

Now 10 weeks (top of page), he's growing fast and settling in really well.  I'd never crate-trained a dog before, but it's been a very smooth process and seems to be contributing to a well-adjusted pup.  So far, I think the key is giving him lots of exercise and it's been fun getting out into the woods with both dogs on these great fall days.
Meeting one of the barn cats

The other critters are getting used to him, though Munchie isn't thrilled about the whole thing.  One of the barn cats actually ran right up to meet him!

Look for lots more pictures of Hoss, he brings us a lot of joy and laughs and seems to be a great addition to our family!
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Tuesday, November 8, 2011

One Morning

The area around our home has been so beautiful lately as the warm fall days have lingered on, starting with crisp misty mornings and sharpening into crystal blue skies.  I'd been meaning to take my camera with me more on my drives to pick up the kids and groceries, but kept forgetting.  On Sunday morning, I could tell that conditions would be nice for photos so I took a quick little drive with my Sony.
We live right along the Kentucky River, and the fog hangs low in the valley on the days when the temperatures vary a lot.  Above is what it looked like as I left the house...
Then as I reached the barn...
And up on the hill looking back over our farm and the river valley that is enclosed in the fog.

I love our neighborhood which is a mixture of a small old-timey creekside town, historic rock walls and very old, established cattle and tobacco farms, and stunning throroughbred horse farms, some of which are owned by super-wealthy international dignitaries.
Tiny creeks feed into larger Glenn's Creek which flows through Millville and many of the prettiest horse farms.
These trees at Diamond A farm have been stunning all season.
I make my way around a loop through the fancy farms and then back toward ours, stopping to laugh at a neighbor's good sense of humor!
And then I'm back home to our more nature-filled farm home, where the fog is still laying in the valley...
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