Ordinary Time

I spent the best part of today demonstrating spinning with a spinning wheel at Fine Line for the Fox Valley Arts Ramble. I love demonstrating fiber related things, and since we were inside in the air conditioning it was doubly nice. I am peopled out at the moment, though.  Surprisingly, not one person (usually a man), watched me spin and then announced, "I bet I could automate that." This meant that I didn't have to tamp down my inner snark and observe that since he was wearing industrial made textiles, he might be a little late to the party. Instead, the general reaction was bafflement. A few people were able to make the connection between what I was doing and the labor textiles used to require, but many didn't seem to quite understand.  But here's my own personal realization for the day. (I'll also add that when I announced this after I got home, it made L. laugh. A lot.) In general, I don't think the general public is as interested in sheep, the differe...

It's been a while since I've done one of these. Chicken Curry had her last dose of medicine tonight, but her back is still healing so the wounds need to still be flushed a couple times a day.  The ducklings have grown so much that they are now out of their brooder (which means I have a new stock tank for the horses) and are free to roam their living quarters which is formally known as Duck Jail . (And if you read the post I linked to, you will learn how we got the smallest chicken coop where Chicken Curry is now residing. I had no idea when we picked it up how useful it would be.) A few weeks ago, a child was making cookies and the KitchenAid stand mixer stopped working. It was very sad. We've had this mixer for 32 years and it has been in pretty constant use. (I also have a Bosch mixer, so cookie making could still happen, don't worry.) I wasn't willing to give up on it, so today J., with the help of YouTube, got it taken apart and figured out what was wrong. The p...

What is summer for if you can't spend the afternoon reading? Today was a day with nothing on the calendar. Since summer tends to be my busy season in terms of EAL, this was a kind of gift. Then when you combine that with the fact that I found a new series, binge read the second book last night, and had the third sitting on my shelf, what, I ask you, was I supposed to do? I, of course, did the sensible thing and binge read the third book this afternoon. The trouble is that I am on the waiting list at the library, so cannot immediately start the fourth. That is actually probably a good thing.  And what is the series? The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion by Beth Brower. There are eight volumes in the series; I may have to buy them all. Ultimately, they are just fun. They are set in Victorian London, but the setting is merely window dressing for quirky characters, a quirky neighborhood, and lots of tongue in cheek storytelling. I love an author who doesn't take herself too serio...

No, this isn't a recipe post, but I do owe you an update on the chicken who was attacked by a raccoon. The bite marks on her back were pretty significant and she was starting to act a little off, it was time to be more proactive. We have friends who are vets and also have quite a few chickens, so I asked them for advice. And I'm glad I did, because she probably wouldn't have made it without their help.  L. was given instructions as to how to flush the wound multiple times a day as well as a prescription for oral antibiotics. (Amoxicillin if you're interested.) L., with G.'s help, has been diligent in keeping the wound flushed as well as giving antibiotics every eight hours. There were a couple of concerning days where L. had to hand feed her, but I'm happy to report that we see new skin growing back and she is eating and drinking well.  The round of antibiotics is done on Friday, but she'll have to be in quarantine for another three weeks both because her sk...

I'm very good at setting aside a book I am not interested in reading. I set aside dozens over the course of a year and you won't hear about a single one. Tonight I am breaking that track record.  A couple of days ago I pulled a few new mysteries off the new acquisitions shelf at the library and have been working my way through them. Last night I opened The Night in Question by Susan Fletcher. It promised to be a light read with a octogenarian detective. (The Thursday Murder Club has started a thing.) This one promised something a little different in that this detective has also lost a leg. I had reservations about that needing to be mentioned on the jacket flap, but authors don't have control over that so I was willing to overlook it. I began to read. [The actual term used on the jacket flap was 'one-legged'. While this doesn't quite move the needle to a slur, it is not great. The preferred terms are 'amputee' or 'person with a limb difference'.]...

It's been an enjoyable weekend with decent weather and only a few things on the calendar. That is just about ideal to my way of thinking. Here are some highlights.  I did a little gardening. I've been trying to do a bit at regular intervals because if I try to think about doing everything it becomes overwhelming and I do nothing. Here is the gardened area. It could use some more perennials, but one step at a time. The low bar is for it to just not look abandoned. And here is what is left to do. It is a very long garden. L. is enjoying her summer job as a deck hand on the paddle wheeler on the Fox River. This morning most people got up early so I. could take them fishing.  The sheep have been earning their keep by trimming around the bases of the silver maples. If they were just a bit taller, they could have gotten all the poison ivy. The ducklings are nearly two weeks old and are significantly bigger. The wisteria we planted a few years ago is blooming. I can't tell you how...