It is cold in New England, but we are already getting ready for the heat!

This morning John swore he saw the goats shivering! He warmed up chopping wood with a friend and I stayed warm baking bread inside. Spring is in the air, though, the plant plugs and seeds are on their way, just another week before we are buried in soil and pots and plants :) Right now we are looking forward to it, in a few weeks we might be feeling differently.....

Meanwhile, I am taking this quiet winter time to read up on farming and sustainable practices and making this life we are building work.  The newest book I started reading tonight is "The road to my Farm" and I already see this paralell of wanting to do it all.  This is a mistake I think I am making.  Doing too much can lead to mediocre work.  I think what I would like to try to do this year is really focus on what I can do now with what I have and the knowledge base I have started.  I'm not sure my personallity will let me do this, but I'm going to try.  I'll let you know how it goes.....

Be well!

My Interview is now on the internet :)

In December I did an interview on Charter Public Television to discuss my pottery. If you go to this link and select 'Watch' at the lower left hand corner you will come to a page where you can select Artists Authors from a drop down menu. I'm the first one. It was a lot of fun and a great group to work with. Hopefully it will inspire me to get more work done in the studio so I have more pieces in the store!

The Blizzard of January 12, 2011!

We are buried over 2 feet under and more is coming every minute!  I'm worried about my flight to AZ tomorrow, but we are still enjoying the snow!  Check out the dogs having fun!

I will post more pictures later - blogspot is not cooperating with the uploads!

Bee Hive Supplies

If you are thinking of supporting the local bee population and your looking for hives, buy local AND save on shipping!  Contact Anthony in Coventry, CT at oldschoohouse@gmail.com !

Masks

A case of insomnia got me up and going early this morning!  The 6 monkey masks are ready to paint and the main mask is almost done - needs a little gold glitter....



Mask making

I'm working hard on getting those masks done!  This one is not done yet but I wanted to post an update.  It will be embellished with gold tomorrow.  Check it out so far!  Mask video

January 8, 2011

What a beautiful day to wake up to!  Even Lamancha (Buttercup), who refused to go out the last snow storm, dashed out in it today like a kid with a snow day!  I am disappointed to be missing my Yankee Fiber Friends group which is in the eastern part of our state, but I love the beauty of snow on trees and how quiet a snow filled day is.

Once my father-in-law plows the road through our yard I will have to get busy checking on the bees, but in the meantime, I'm going to make myself a delicious breakfast and relax.  I will work on some fiber projects in honor of my missed meeting, but my biggest goal is to finish most of the masks I've started for the recital in Worcester. 

I would also like to start putting together KitchenAid home cooking recipes for the blog.  I made cultured butter all in my KitchenAid and I now I can make all my favorite breads using the KitchenAid for every step!  A few years ago I was in an accident that ruined my lower back and I had to stop making homemade bread because of the pain and limitations.  That year John got me a KitchenAid so I could try again because my sister said you can do all the kneading in there - and you can!  I love that machine.

If you are in Connecticut - enjoy the view!

Be well!

Making Aprons

I took a 'homemaker' type class in Jr. High but its been a long time since I've had success on a sewing project.  I asked my mom if she would help me learn again with a simple apron pattern and now I have a nice new apron. :)  THANKS, MOM!

Craft Night!

Tomorrow night I go to my parents’ house for our Cleaver night (Mrs. Cleaver that is); our craft night.  The craft of the week (and probably the month!) is making aprons.  I haven’t sewn in a LONG time so it should be interesting….  When I get back from Arizona my dad and I will have to have our own version of craft night as we start the process of learning how to make cheese.  Our first adventure together is Colby.  Dad was a pharmacist, so he’s got the chemistry down, I’m hoping that helps us on our adventure!

Making Masks



Tonight I am creating masks for a Cambodian dance recital in Massachusetts.  I am to make one master mask and 6 monkey masks.  It is an exciting task and also an unfamiliar one.  I will post pictures this weekend.  My fingers are crossed while plastering and painting.  You have to use quite a bit of imagination with these pictures.

Sad bee news today

Sadly, this past weekend I found that my stronger colony of bees had passed. I don’t yet know how, but my new friend Stuart Woronecki has given me some good information and advice. I will give out more details this weekend when I clean out the hive. If you need a new colony or are thinking of starting beekeeping, send Stuart an email at sworonecki@gmail.com. Now is the time to get your order in for the spring!

January 4, 2011

John is outside giving the goats their last treats before the lights go out with our dog Roxi by his side.  She is a working dog and will protect the rabbits, excite the goats, clear any hiking trail of mice or snakes, and do just about anything for approval.  Yes, she is a lab mix.  We have 2 Catahoula leopard dogs, Roxi is more lab than anything else and Dori is more greyhound.  Dori sleeps 23.5 hours per day and cares nothing about pleasing her caretakers.  She’s like a 75 pound cat.  Tonight after eating dinner and before meeting with the Mansfield Agriculture Committee, we snuggled and cut toenails and checked hotspots.  We tried to get Dori off her bed while simultaneously trying to get Roxi to calm down and show kitty for the 14^th time that she does, in fact, have food in her bowl (she’s starting to get a little confused in her advanced age).  They are a funny mix, these two dogs and their dominant 19 year old cat.  Goodnight and be well!

January 4, 2011 its a good day!

My day started out in the usual way until late morning when my father and mother and little sister took a trip to Yale Smiloh Cancer Hospital to meet with Dr's to talk about my mom's fight.  The people there were wonderful and kind.  They gave us treatment options and good news and Hope.  Love and Hope are what carries you when you have that terrible diagnosis.  Thanks to my mom's Dr's here in Manchester and those in Boston and now in New Haven, mom can be mom and nana and sister and wife and friend.  We are so grateful.
-Be well!

January 3, 2011

This morning was bitterly cold and it was hard to get out of bed to do my chores. My first objective is to start the coffee, then I feed the dogs, then the cat, then I get to sit and relax with my first cup. Then its off to the basement to say ‘hi’ to the rabbits and get the food and hot water for the goats. I love my routine even though it means I have to get up early. It is nice to take the time to talk to the animals and relax before a day of constant brain strain.


-Be well!

January 2, 2011

Yesterday was our first day without TV or internet. It was nice to sit down to dinner without the distraction. After dinner John took out his old Atari and we played everything from frogger to digdug to space invaders, we had the greatest time! I have a lot of friends that think we are crazy and ask why we are depriving ourselves. I don’t think of it that way. Besides the idea of saving as much money as we can, there is this desire to get ‘Back to the Basics’. So instead of no TV and no internet being a negative, it is a positive, it gives us a chance to learn new fun things, fill the space with more meaningful activity, more thoughtful activity. I believe that a lot of us (definitely including me) get caught up in this rush to do it all and we’ve got the ipads and the ipods and the clever phones and the instant internet and hundreds of channels of entertainment and meanwhile we are missing out on everything around us. There was a poem quoted in an old Mary Janes Farm Magazine that I read today:


“’Tis a gift to be simple,

‘tis a gift to be free,

‘Tis the gift to come down

where we ought to be,

And when we find ourselves

in the place just right,

‘Twill be in the valley

of love and delight.

When true simplicity is gain’d

To bow and to bend

We shant be asham’d

To turn, turn will be out delight,

Till by turning, turning

We come out right.”

-Be Well!