Saturday, June 16, 2007

A Day Off. (If I remember How!)

Alrighty then...the son has graduated and is off to a dual-parent supervised party, has his new cell phone to call with if he needs to (and he has once before - a very cool thing), my Man works for another hour or two and I'm ignoring the "travel trailer from Hell". I'm actually going to take a day off! Well, LOL, not a whole day as it's nearly evening but hey, a night off is progress for me!
I'm not going to work on any of my OCD-driven projects...none of the "have to do's" will be done. I'm going to make a quick run to the store then it's back home, into comfy sweats and I'm gonna play with fiber!!!
I haven't decided whether I'm going to bring the spinning wheel into the living room or surround myself on the floor with buffalo fluff to pick and fondle or maybe just drag in some llama fleece and sort some of that. Heck, I might just sort and card some angora with that Romney I have ready to go and do some up on my favorite drop spindle.
I am gonna do whatever I want to do tonight! Neener Neener!
Ahhhhh. Vykky Time.
All the more special when it's been awhile.
What's that beer commercial? Oh yeah....Because I'm worth it.
Or maybe that was a hair color ad....hmmm...

Proud Dad, Grad and Uncle Dan


Proud Dad, Grad and Uncle Dan
Originally uploaded by vykky3630
What handsome men I'm blessed to be around! Here's a very proud Dad and our son; Joe along with his Uncle Dan. This was snapped before the Entry March for Ferndale High's Class of 2007 Graduation.
Woohoo!! He did it! I'm so proud of him!!

There's No Such Thing as a Free Puppy

Or as in this case...a free travel trailer. On Mother's Day, we towed home this free gift. It's a 29.5 foot Fleetwood Wilderness Travel Trailer. That's my lovely daughter helping to scrub away the green meanies. It's cleaned up quite well and looks like new...until you see all the water damage inside. No worries, all the water lines are new, a new bath faucet and counter top will soon be installed along with a comfy loveseat and hand-built end table/stash cupboard by yours truly.
This is the main project that has been making me crazy. You see, when you're mildly OCD, having unfinished projects tends to work on your nerves. And an almost 30 foot long project that you park next to in the driveway, see every time you look out your kitchen window and walk by every time you leave the house is nerve-wracking to someone like myself. Thank goodness I'm on the down-hill side of renovating this beast. I'm saving the hot water heater replacement for when we bring it back home from the race track. I've got to finish the frame/pedastal that the love seat will sit on, fabricate an end table/storage cupboard, install a counter-top and the new faucet in the bathroom as well as test and install the recently re-built water pump. Then a day spent doing the laminate flooring and carpet and I'll be ready to pack the cupboards and make the bed.
Whew.
I'm ready to be done with this.

Sunday, June 10, 2007

Paco's Wool


Paco's Wool
Originally uploaded by vykky3630
I sure do get myself involved with some interesting fiber! (Remind me to write about the buffalo fluff I'm playing with too!)
This is a close-up of some of Paco's wool. You can see that some of his overly long fleece naturally felted while on him. Boy, that must have been hot last summer for him. Yes, there's a lot of VM in there too including rose branches, cedar twigs and the usual variety of over-grown field hoopla. I need to keep working on all 3 bags of fleece from these rescue guys though. Their new owner didn't really think anyone would want their wool and so left the 3 bags out in the rain for a week. Can you say "funky"??

Length of Llama Wool


Length of Llama Wool
Originally uploaded by vykky3630
It looks like the overall length of the useable wool from these poor guys is nearly 10 inches long! Remember, these 2 llamas; Gus and Paco, were not sheared for more than 3 years.
As I'm sorting, what wool I'm finding to be useable (ie; not felted) is just lovely stuff. Both Gus and Paco have naturally soft wool. I'd like to make their new Mom a surprise out of it!

3 Bags Full


3 Bags Full
Originally uploaded by vykky3630
Our local free newspaper had an ad in the Freebies section that I couldn't wait to call on: "Free Llama wool, 3 bags full". When I called, bright and early the next morning, I discovered that the lady who had these bags of wool was also the new "Mom" to a pair of rescued llamas. Paco and his field buddy; Gus, who was originally named Aster, now spend their days in a leisurely pampered manner.
Around 3 months ago, the local animal control finally stepped in to a situation that locals had complained about for months. Not 1/2 mile from our new house, there was a field of aproximately 38 llamas who lived there full time. But the owner lived in another part of the state, rarely visited and never did any routine care or treatment. So, after months of neighbors worrying, the county folks arranged a rescue crew who swooped in and assumed care of those poor llamas. Unfortunately, 6 of them had to be euthanised due to their health. The rest were adopted out to well-deserving homes.
None of the 32 remaining llamas had been sheared in at least 3 years. The rescue group organised a team to shear them after allowing a couple of months to settle into their new homes. I was lucky enough to be gifted with these 3 bags of wool. I have no idea how much of it will be spinnable or even useable but you can bet your boots I feel honored just to have the opportunity to play with it!

Bunny Babysitting


Bunny Babysitting
Originally uploaded by vykky3630
These 2 lovely Giant German Angora bunnies are the latest additions to our menagerie. This pair is only temporary as we're babysitting while their family is teaching English in China for 9 months or so. (Just long enough for me to enjoy them and harvest some pretty darn nice angora fiber for hand-spinning!) Their names are Bunnadette (with her back to us) and her Sister; Ebunny. A couple of weeks ago we had the Great Bunny Escape...not a good time. But, I have to admit that if it were on video it would be hugely entertaining!

Pond View


Pond View
Originally uploaded by vykky3630
Around the beginning of May, we finally did it! After more than 8 years of dating and having our separate homes, we moved in as a family! So now there's more than me and the original 4 kitties...we're up to a Fiance, a new 18 year old step-son, their kitty, (who makes 5), their dog and of course, the Bearded Dragon. Oh, and let's not forget the bunnies...more on them later. We're currently renting this house and property from a friend while we talk him into selling it to us. He's weakening but boy howdy, he's a hard one!