Weekly update - April 17, 2026

It has been a busy week around here.
  • I had three different fiber classes at Fine Line this week. They were interesting; I'm glad I was able to take them; I'm really glad I don't have three every week. To keep this ship running smoothly, I really need to be home more.
  • The portable sheep fencing is working well. We've (well, J. and G.) have already moved it once. The sheep love having access to grass. 
  • I think the wool break in the sheep that haven't been sheared is now to a point where we can roo them. I think we'll try Fred tomorrow.
  • L. has started training for her job as a deck hand on a boat on the Fox River. Today was CPR and first aid training. 
  • G. and Y. are still on the hunt for summer jobs.
  • J. received a very, very nice early birthday present from TM and JH of tickets to see Bruce Springsteen in concert. J. was left a little speechless. 
  • On top of having three classes which had me out of the house this week, I also had a Girl Scout troop here all afternoon working on horse merit badge activities. They were very nice girls and I think they had a lot of fun. It was the first horse class type event of the season. It always takes me a bit to get everything sorted out ahead of time and to remind myself of how I do everything. 
  • I'm looking forward to a weekend where we have nothing scheduled. 
  • We ARE going to put mulch on all the flower beds this year. Really.
  • We discovered we ran out of wheat berries as G.  was in the process of starting to make bread. It's kind of hard to make bread without them. Well, at least the 100% whole wheat kind because we grind the flour finer than you can get in the store. I found a place that sold them, but they were twice what I pay in bulk. I guess I need to order more wheat berries for this month's Azure Standard delivery. 
  • Dinner conversations always crack me up. One of the more entertaining lines from this evening was L. announcing that she much preferred second hand stories because first hand stories were wasteful. Yes, you have zero context, but sometimes we don't either when it comes to L.'s announcements. 
  • It seems it is egg laying season among the sparrows. How do I know this? So far we have found three sparrow eggs on the floor of the barn. This does not bode well for what the falling baby bird season will be like this year. Do you think if I put up signs informing them of putting better sides on their nests it would help? 

  • And finally, a ridiculous picture of Juniper. She sleeps and relaxes like this all the time. Don't be deceived though. While it may look as though she wants a nice belly rub, if you try, your hand will immediately become a pin cushion for cat claws. 

  • I shall now go back to compulsively checking the weather. If I check the weather enough it will mean that the tornadoes which keep developing will go around us, right?

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