Life Gets Busy

I hate to admit that summer is coming to a close but after looking at the calendar this morning, there is no denying it. Next weekend is Labor Day weekend, which to me means 'back to school' and the beginning of preparations for fall and winter. But wait! I still have tons of summer chores to do. I'm not ready for fall! Pitiful too is the fact that I have only posted on this blog once since April. Hey! What can I say? Life gets busy.

As fall creeps up quickly on my heels, I thought I'd look back and see just what has been accomplished since April.

My first outdoor spring project was making some new perennial beds on the backyard side of the house. We have reverse living where our livingroom faces the backyard and not the street. Before our remodel this area was filled with giant rhododendrons and trees covering the windows so we could barely see out.

During excavation of the studio all the plants were removed from this side of the house. The rhodie was moved to the far end of this new clean space. I had the same feeling staring at a giant empty flower bed that I have staring at a new white piece of drawing paper or new white warp. I could hardly wait to start planting and watch it transform from a pile of dirt to beds full of texture and color.

Last fall I saved crocosmia, echinacea and rudbekia from old beds and healed them in under healthy soil and peat moss. I was able to transplant them into the new beds after rototilling in many bags of Whitney Farms planting compost. I filled in with annual verbena, geraniums and zinnias all in vibrant reds, oranges and purples. Once the weather finally warmed up, the beds filled in quickly and everything began performing as well, if not better than in my old beds. Alaskan fish fertilizer has also done wonders. I highly recommend it over Miracle Gro.

I planted 4 tomatoe plants and a few pepper plants up next to the deck, as well. Jon always has tomatoes in his garden at the very back of our property but I liked the idea of picking right from the deck. So far it's been great. I'm afraid I probably won't get to preparing lawn damage until spring, lowest of priorities. But I did get all my bird feeders back and the bird bath filled with fresh water and the back yard came alive. 

Now that the flower bed was complete and Mother Nature was taking care of the watering Jon and I were  off to Prineville for Dancing Cow Farm's Third annual Mother's Day weekend "Open Barn Daze". It could actually have been the 'Fourth' annual but I wasn't at the first one so this was MY third. The weather in Oregon is always really iffy that early in the season. Only a few days before we headed out, there had been snow on the pass. We were lucky, no snow and it was dry the entire time we were in Prineville. Our dear friends, Dianne and Mike now have a little travel trailer so this was to be our first of many caravan adventures together. Jan and Jeff would come up with their grandkids the day after our arrival.

There wasn't much for us to do, once we arrived. Jerre and Sean would busy preparing for the big weekend so we situated ourselves in the lower area of the farm down by the watering hole and duck's livingroom. 

Our Nash trailer parked in the runner ducks and Guinea fowl's livingroom.

Dianne and Mike's Wilderness trailer right behind us.

Jerre & Sean work harder on their little slice of Heaven more than any two people I have ever known. With all the animals, there is hardly time for themselves. The animals always come first. Then there are all those veggies to start from seed, tend to in the greenhouse, plant outside when the frost is hopefully gone and tend all summer. Then there's all the equipment to keep up and running. I get exhausted just thinking about it. Then they set aside Mother's Day weekend to invite the community onto their land and give them tours to see how they run the farm  and share their trade secrets. Jan, Jeff, Mike, Dianne, Jon and I all feel honored to come and demonstrate what we love to do.

Jerre & Sean-owners of Dancing Cow Farm along with their working Kelpies, Mojo and Coogee

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Jacob Momma and fairly new lamb. They are such charmers!

While Jerre and Sean were busy taking visitors on tours we were all snug in the warmth of the yurt. We love spending the weekend demonstrating. We can get our spinning and weaving done without feeling guilty that we're not concentrating on other chores. It's also fun to answer questions and see the children so fascinated with what we all do.

Dianne

Jan

Jan's granddaughter, Zoe and Jerre's granddaughter, Jaden met for the first time on this trip. They hit it off immediately. They have a lot in common including grandparents who, for one thing, raise Jacob sheep. Jeff & Jan brought their wool carder and the two young ladies took carding the wool very seriously and they did a superior job.

Zoe & Jadin

Me starting a new weaving

Me knitting in the warmth of the spring sun.

As I remember it, the weather was dry that weekend but it certainly wasn't warm. We didn't spend as much time outside sitting in the sun as we had done on some previous trips. But the forecast was for a warming trend so we decided to Caravan with Mike and Dianne over to Jasper Point campground on Prineville Reservoir for a few days.

Jon and I had scoped out this campground last year and noticed just two sites right on the water, next to each other. I remember the view being lovely and the sites being equipped with water and electricity. Just like home.

The Nash on the reservoir

Dianne & me 'camp knitting' While Mike looks on.

As you can see in the photo above, we were in the sun in our long sleeved shirts and sweatshirts. But as the day progressed the temperature rose and we were able to shed a few items of clothing and enjoy the days. Mornings were silent and beautiful. Days were full of noisy red-winged blackbirds, red-tailed hawks and bald eagles along with nice hikes along the reservoir.

sunrise on Prineville Reservoir

Milkvetch also known as loco weed

Our mini-vacation came to an end and we headed back on the west side where the dry weather quickly turned back to spring rains. While waiting for another dry spell to plant veggie gardens, we headed back to school to work on our fiber projects. Here are some of the weavings finished in May.

Elaine N

Gordon

Elaine C

Kathy R