Saturday, March 30, 2013

A Catuirday report and Mummy's Finished Object

Hello Effurry Body and EffurryKitty!

It's Caturday!  And it's been one pretty nice week here in the Pacific NW.  Georgie, Bella & I have spent a lot of time out in the Shepherd's gardens - partly because it has been sunny and warm out, but partly because some mystery ebil kitty has been coming into mummy & The Shepherd's house through OUR cat door and eating our food and making it stinky in the kitchen.

Mummy is upset - but The Shepherd is fur-i-ous.






Mummy wanted me to tell you about the blankie that she made *crocheted) for the grand niece of her older sister.  It is kind of round and kind of star shaped.  And BIGGER than she thought it was going to be - but the colors were so pretty and the yarn was a soft & fluffy stuff - she hopes that the new baby will like it.












 
This is Glory of the Snow.  The Shepherd didn't think it was coming back in the garden, because it was a little slow to come up this year.  But, it is up, and it is ALL over the place.  Where it was originally planted (in the flower bed in the front of the driveway) and over there - (across the driveway,) and over there - (under the bamboo), and over there (by the big pine tree) - Mummy says it's like lemmings marching to the sea! 

We wanted to wish EFFURRY one of you a Hoppy Easter.  The Shepherd and Mummy will be verry busy with church things this weekend and then Mummy is going to bake a Turkey for Easter Dinner.  I hope we get a little bit.  I likes Turkey! 

This little blankie is for the baby's older sister (she's about 4) This is for her dolly.  It would also work for big sister to put her head on when she is lying in the grass. 

Mummy said I could finish the blog today, with my verry best poem -

     " Happy Easter!
          Happy Spring!
              Happy, Happy
                  Everything!" 


We hope you all have a great weekend!!

Love, your roving reporter,

              Gracie! 

Sunday, March 24, 2013

Church breakfast

 Last weekend I helped with a fund-raiser breakfast that we had at church.  My part was to bring cinnamon rolls.

I used this recipe for "Sensational Overnight Cinnamon Rolls"

But I didn't make them "overnight", I just let them rise the second time and baked them on Saturday, and wrapped them in foil (once they had cooled) to keep them fresh and to keep marauding felines out of them.




And like the recipe suggests, I used my long, unused bread machine to mix and kneed them. It worked like a charm.(and I have promised my co-workers that I would make some for them someday soon)

And let me tell you, they WERE sensational!


And since it was St. Patrick's Day, I tinted the frosting green!

We had scrambled eggs, bacon or sausage, fruit (oranges, pineapple and banana chopped & mixed) and fruit juice.  It was delish. 



Then we went upstairs and had our choir concert.

It was called "Long and Winding Roads" because all of the songs that The Shepherd, who also moonlights as "The Choir Director"  had references to "roads" in them.  He also brought one of his favorite J Jody Bergsma paintings to decorate the front of the church.


And this big bouquet of daffodils from our yard.

I read a blog yesterday where the kitty called daffodils "Sunshine on Stems" - I thought that was very appropriate.

We had a very fun day and there were four cinnamon rolls left over for snacks later.  Yum. 

Saturday, March 23, 2013

What's on my wheel?


Bright red Corriedale to go with the black merino I spun up last week - another coach's cap - this one for my nephew's friend.

I need to get it finished so I can work on some yarn for our friend's Wonderful Woolies sale next month.  I'll keep you posted! 

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Happy Spring - Down on the creek

 Last week while I was home on staycation, I went out and played pawparatzi with the kitties.


The Shepherd planted these daffodils down on the creek about 15 years ago after he buried my dear Jaxom. It was a spot that he loved to sit under the tree and watch the world go by. I always think of him in the spring time when these dafs are in bloom. 











Today's explorer was Miss Gracie.  


I have a feeling that when I am at The Salt Mine during the day, that the kitties spend a fair amount of time down on the creek.

There is always something to see - 


Different things to smell


and lots of logs to climb in.  


And sisters to stalk....


The mighty hunter/brother has Gracie in his sight...


She doesn't suspect a thing.

Du dum, du dum, du dum
du dum.........


The end.

(BTW, if you wish to see an unexpected "portrait" in this picture, click on it to biggify.)

Saturday, March 16, 2013

It's Caturday!!!

Hello Effurrybody and effurrykitty!

It's me, Bella and I get to do the Caturday report this week!  It's almost St. Patrick's Day, so Mummy decorated me with this very cool hat & green ribbon.

And for all those who've been waiting, yes, the sheepies got their furs all cut off this week. 

 





The shearer guy's name is Dan Riley and he came up from Arlington (about an hour's drive to the south) on Thursday and sheared our sheep and our friend Nancy G's sheep.

Mummy seemed to think he did a pretty good job. 


He had good control of those squirmy things and didn't make any cuts or nicks on them.


And Mummy said she didn't see any second cuts - what ever that means...


This fluffy goodness looked very appealing to me, but The Shepherd shooed me away. 

I thought it would be great fun to jump in the middle of that puddle-o-wool and just roll around.  He didn't think so at all. 


It always amazes me the different colors that come off of the sheepies. 


This one was The Shepherd's favorite, I think. 


And see - they look pretty skinny and geeky, don't you think. 


They got all freaked out when Mummy tried to go into the barn, and ran out into the rain.  Silly things.


Mummy took a movie of the shearer guy at work for all of our friends who don't have sheep of their own - but the ebil blogger would not let her down load it today. She'll try again next week.
 

Now  that the guy with the scissors is gone, I can lay back and relax - I didn't want to add my pretty furs to those big piles, so I kept far away from him.  Hope you had a nice weekend.  See ya next week! 



Sunday, March 10, 2013

The Caturday Report!

 Hello effurry body & effurry kitty!  Its ME, George & I get to do this week's Caturday Report!

Not much nooze here -  Mummy is always gone to The Salt Mines and The Shepherd has been busy scaring up pruning and winter clean up work for his customers.

As you can see from the blu skies in the background, it was a very beautiful sunny day here at the farm.  Mummy went to her spinner group and The Shepherd had to work, so we had the farm all to ourselves.  When Mummy got back home from spinning, she pulled her camera out of her basket and became the "Dredded PaWperatzi" -

She follows us around and snaps and snaps and snaps.  Mummy said this picture makes me look VERY handsome though, so I didn't mind it too much.  ! 




Truth be told, we spent most of the day snoozing inside, until Mummy came home, then me and Bella chose our favorite sun puddle spots - on Mummy's car.  One of her friends at work said he knew she had kitties, because there were muddy footprints all over the hood and big chunks of furs (now, Bella, where would that come from???) all over the top of the car.  I think it's time for her to put her car through the car scrubber, don't you? 



Gracie was practicing her Yoga and making cat shadows on the side of the house.

Then, we all went out to the barn to see the woolies.




Yes, as you can see, they are all still wearing their winter wool coats.  They were supposed to get haircuts last Thursday, but there was a "scheduling snafu" and the shearer man couldn't come up.  He's promised The Shepherd that he will come hell or high water this coming Thursday.




Personally, I don't think The Shepherd will want  to shear if it's high water.  But, around here, you can never tell.

Mummy says to say thank you to everyone who said what pertty fleeces our girls have on.  









The Shepherd had moved a bunch of his little potted plants out of the greenhouse so there would be room for the new fleeces.  Since the weather is supposed to be pretty good, he's going to leave them out on the bench outside. 

The Shepherd and his little sheep Sandy have a new trick.  When he is done dumping the little bucket that he carries out to the sheepies big water bucket, Sandy has decided that she needs to inspect and clean out the little bucket.

It is pretty funny to watch so Mummy took a movie for you to see.... 
 
Good to the last drop!

Effurry body have a great new week.  Til' next time.  George

Wednesday, March 06, 2013

Fotos of the Flock


The Shepherd moved his girls onto the back pasture last weekend. 

They came in for grain that night, but weren't too interested in the hay.

They were full of lush green grass.


Take one last look at these fluffy little sheep. 

Tomorrow they all get nekked. 

Sheared. 


Unfortunately I forgot to ask for the day off, so I will miss shearing this year.  Darn. 


We're not plump, we're fluffy!


This is also the first year since we've had sheep that we won't be having lambs.  It just didn't work out this year. 

So, one less worry. 


The neighbors with grand-kids are all disappointed though. 

Well, they don't have to get up at 2:00 in the morning to go out and check that ewe who, at 11:00 when we went to bed, looked like she just might be ready to give birth. 



And since the boys have never "been there/done that" they weren't even disappointed. 

You'll get your chance next year, Maks. 






All photos courtesy of The Shepherd.