Thou rulest the raging of the sea: when the waves thereof arise, thou stillest them. Psalm 89:9
Previously we showed what could be spun with our Creative Batts and it really helps you get a sense of how far your fiber can go. I created this next Luxury Loft Yarn by plying some of my previously spun "Wild Waves of the West" yarn and some more recently dyed. Together they make Wandering Waves! This wavy wonder is aloft with Alpaca, Angora, Finn, Local fine wools, Silk, Mohair and Firestar... A lovely, slubby yarn that is a treat to handle and wear!
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Gratefully, we have moved things out of storage and began finding a place for them in our new home and our spinning supplies have been getting organized! It has been quite some time since I've had a chance to enjoy my wheel. Lil' Miss has kept her wheel handy through the summer and is finding she is an excellent, consistent spinner. Her yarns just keep getting better and she has found a niche spinning for a dear friend of ours...
Yes, it's true, we are still working through the many challenges that the crash has brought to the homestead. We are learning much through these months of interaction with the mortgage company, the insurance company, General Contractors, the abatement company, the tree service, storage facilities, the rental company, the hotel, private RV sellers or dealers, and a real estate company that require as much dedication as a full time office manager. Not to mention, life's agendas throughout these processes: finishing our school testing (which happened to be during a heavy sickness we got in the hotel), Tech finishing his driver education and then researching care and purchase of his first vehicle. All of this accompanied our diligent pursuit of quality homes for our livestock, sifting through of our 10 years of accumulation and deciding what to keep, give or toss; and above all, the many interactions with neighbors, friends and family members who had their own tidbits of advice, methods of support and ways/times of contacting. After months of daily dealing with so many business personnel completely unconcerned with your family & home situation and crazy upheaval to your 'regular lifestyle'; it can be so frustrating that you may be tempted to walk away from it all and leave it to anyone else to figure out - 'Throwing in the towel', as they say. Many tears may be shed, many times on your knees, many times of confusion...but having the Lord on your side is how you overcome these temptations and the only way we'd every want to go through life's trials. There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. 1 Corinthians 10:13 Sometimes a light surprises
The Christian while he sings; It is the Lord who rises With healing in his wings: When comforts are declining, He grants the soul again A season of clear shining, To cheer it after rain. Just before 'the crash' we found a small, travel size table loom at a late season moving sale and Mom had begun to lay out her first scarf with several homespun yarns. (pictures below) This particular type of weaving has been a therapeutic project during our limited down time.
As it 'just so happens' (although we all agree nothing is 'happenstance' with the Lord) our current reading of encouragement is Tramp for the Lord by Corrie Ten Boom. It is a beautiful walk through Corrie's life following her release from the concentration camps of WWII. In it she shares how forgiveness enabled her to grow closer to the Lord and gave her an abounding joy; but it was not easy, and all had to be given to Him, as she could not, in herself, work through the hurt and anger as the Lord can do for us. In the beginning of the book is a wonderful poem called "The Weaver"* that touched us so deeply and speaks so analogically to our lives, we had to share. We hope you will be as stirred by this poem that serves as a poignant reminder of who is truly in charge. In the wee hours of December 9th, 2015 a harrowing wind, like we've never heard before, slammed this giant Cedar tree through our home and caused a LOT of damage. The great miracle here is the fact that not one hair on the head of any of our family members, nor animals was harmed during this crash that brought the tree in right at the head of Mom and Dad's bed; both had been woken up and were in other areas of the house.
These situations in life force you to consider what really matters. When you're evacuating at 3 a.m. in the pitch black of a forest night, trudging through the sucking mud, wind whipping your face, wondering if more destruction is to come; you ask yourself, "What is the most important thing to have?" When you go to bed at night, do you wrap yourself in your favorite comforter preparing to catch some comfortable Zzzz's? Have you considered that your Garden, as it's entering the shorter, colder, wetter days of Fall/Winter could use a similar type of comfort? For several years we have been employing a number of soil amending mulches to insulate and create a 'skin', as Paul Gautschi calls it, that will utilize the natural processes (rains, snow, frost & thaw) of these months to enhance our soils. One year we put three inches of composted horse manure on all but a couple of our beds and wouldn't you know everything, but those two, was easy to plant in, while those left bare nearly needed a tiller to free up the soil. Not only were the mulched beds less labor intensive, but they produced more abundantly as well. Only this year did we get several loads of wood chips, enough to get us started on a sizable area- on grassy, never tilled ground - and have a chance to see the mimicry of God's work and it's affects into the next year. Already we saw how it fed the soil and we enjoyed bigger black berries, produced more abundantly, for a longer duration than we ever had along our fence line. The berries were delicious and juicy despite never being watered with anything other than the rains that came - remember it was record drought season here this year. We have begun putting this area to bed and using some of the excess for a new berry patch. The former hoop house area is now full of Marion Berries, Boysenberries, Logan Berries, Thorn-less Black Berries, and several varieties of Raspberries. These were all a very special gift, from the Lord, through various people, and we couldn't be more thrilled! We're anticipating our largest harvest yet and look forward to reaping the rewards of the hard work! Although we had only enough time and space available to add the wood chips and chopped leaves/greenery to our pathways this spring/summer; we see our paths maintaining body (not compacting but springing back after we walk) and had several luscious weeds and plants easily starting in it, and easily uprooted, including several strawberry runners! In the past, using wood chips in a select area, we did not have the same results. We lost a large number of herbs with a chip mulching done over one season and all our strawberries as well, while other areas flourished - like the rhubarb on our smaller hugelkultur. We're not certain where we erred... did we not have the chopped greenery too? Did we apply too thinly/thickly? The years and experiences the Lord gives us are meant to be times of fruitfulness for the Him, which equates to lots of learning, and we count all these experiences as such. Just as important is accepting and using those mulching materials the Lord provides. They may not be wood chips; it may be dirty wool, composted horse manure, lawn trimmings, leaves, rotting straw/hay, livestock bedding, etc. As Joel Salatin encouraged in his book You Can Farm, we've learned to take all we can get and apply it liberally for it will only enhance our soils! We have done further study with video tours of Paul's property posted by a 'You Tuber'. We've also learned he now has a book written by another man, David Devine. Paul's expressed zeal for intimate communication with the Lord, in spirit, is inspiring and points to where true wisdom comes from, the Lord! And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the sea shore. 1Kings 4:29 And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding. Job 28:28 Our garden has been the biggest project this year by far. Even as we work into October we have been enjoying a few strawberries while harvesting herbs and veggies from the garden. The rabbits continue to eat plenty of kale but as the moisture levels increase we have been harvesting, dehydrating and storing herbs by the arm loads to beat the mold. (Thank you, Lord for the abundance!) We have been using the herbs in a number of oils, enjoyed plenty of tea, made some supplement capsules, Lil Miss made herself some special hair oil, and we are planning more tincture combinations. Additionally, we are harvesting enough to add to animal feeds throughout the winter months. We have also taken down our hoop house (mold city-my poor tomatoes!) and will be relegating it's use (in a dryer area of the property) to hay storage, while it's former home becomes the new berry patch. Raspberries and Marion berries will be filling in a substantial area, creating an edible garden hedge, while our expanding strawberry bed will be moving to their past location. We are so pleased that the strawberries have produced many runners for our expansion and Miss Judy, also needing to thin her plot, is generously passing more our way. What a blessing! Additionally, we have been extending our hugelkultur to completely run the dry paddock and nearly connect with our first h.k. This will be the new home for our fruit trees and squash for next year - a beginning food forest! It will hopefully be a far better area for the trees to actually get enough sun to fruit! Certainly the abundance of mineral rich compost and continual moisture from rotten logs will add to the growth potential. We sincerely hope next year will be our best harvest yet! Hopefully this will give you a general idea for making your own hugelkultur beds! They are a superior sustainable approach and with the wacky weather, will make it much easier to ensure our berries have plenty of moisture during the trying months of summer. Those dead wood chunks act as sponges, slowly releasing minerals and water into the soil only the searching roots will find tucked underneath the soil. And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not. Isaiah 58:11 Remember the swarm of bees we brought home and an extracted hive Dad carefully removed from an abandoned church building; only to have them both swarm again and leave? Both bee families have settled high in two different very tall trees. The hive from town in our neighbor's tree bordering our garden and the other, in the woods - both with easy access to an abundance of flowering plants and several clean springs for water. They know how to pick the perfect location! Although we cannot harvest the honey, we are blessed to have them happily pollinate all they want and it is a treat to hear their harmonious hum as they bumble about the gardens and native plants, even late into the season. I couldn't capture, with Dad's phone, all the humming on this large Sedum as there were far more than each photo shows...How many bees can you find? Hearken unto this, O Job: stand still, and consider the wondrous works of God. Job 37:14 Our favorite Washington fiber event is nearly here... Last year we thoroughly enjoyed participating in the Schafer Meadows Fiber Arts Festival for the first time and found it is our absolute favorite event. With our hefty homestead work load this year, we knew a single selling event would be all we had time for. The fantastic, friendly, family atmosphere and plethora of learning opportunities made this event the obvious choice. If you'd like to take a family field trip to learn a number of old skills, see a variety of unique fibers and creations, and snuggle some fuzzy animals it is well worth the drive! This year they've expanded to inc1ude a local alpaca group and their wares. I whole-heartedly encourage all those interested in spinning, felting, knitting and crochet to attend several events like this. You can typically purchase your spinning supplies at a significantly reduced cost by buying USED! The price point of even the most basic of brand new wooden wheels is around $500; whereas a gently used edition can start around $150! We will have a used, original Ashford Traditional (kit version) available to purchase, as well as a beautiful Ertoel "Roberta" electric wheel. To accompany these items we will also offer some of Jr. Farmer's newest creations.... Hand turned crochet hooks! He has been enjoying several wood working projects and wanted to make special pieces for this event, including his popular wood buttons. Lil' Miss has been carding more of her beautiful fiber batts with fall flare so you can create in even more color schemes! Tech, with his Notably Notched creations, is offering some of his carvings that took blue ribbons at the fair, for anyone who may be looking for the perfect enhancement to their craft room or a unique gift! All of this means you have plenty of amazing options for beautiful, hand-made creations! Everyone is contributing and we look forward to being able to see so many new and known faces to chat and share fiber related fun! We hope to see you there! To learn more check out our post here and you can take a peak at last years event with a little video Tech did below: We often have the wonderful opportunity to share the joy of our animals with others and when we get to bring some fuzzy fun to local Grandpas and Grandmas, it's especially fulfilling. This time, rather than bringing in our spinning wheel, carders, and some of our fiber creations to demonstrate 'fiber to finished product'; their creative Activities Directors planned a Petting Zoo day, complete with a 20 lb cat, mini donkey, mini horse, a lizard, two different types of dogs and we brought a duckling and some bunnies! The weather was perfect and the smiles were broad! You cannot see them, as the photos were edited for their privacy, but we hope you can sense the warmth in these photos. All the grandparents feel especially satisfied if they are able to have the rabbits fall asleep while they snuggle them close. Our Muscovy duckling was a last minute addition as their planned 'chicken sharer' was a late cancellation. He was happy to eat their grasshoppers and worms while 'tolerating' doting employees. While these Grandpas talked rabbits, 'Fat Cat' absorbed some sun rays and shyly stayed in her crate. Sometimes folks are a bit hesitant to hold any rabbit and often ask, ''Do they bite?'' It's understandable, but we always assure them they do not, they're friendly rabbits. *smile* Once they get comfortable, they're soon snuggling them closer. These guys are adorable! We have dreamed about our own donkey as a livestock guardian and boy, did this make us love them all the more! Did you know that donkeys have a black dorsal stripe on their backs in the shape of a cross? These boys are definitely chunky, but were both very well behaved. The rabbits get passed around and snuggled for a good hour or two, never getting irritated or aggressive. Every time we go, we pray for the Lord's work and believe that's why humans and animals always have so much peace during and after the experience! Yes, this lizard has it's own harness and leash...but he stayed snuggled to her the entire time. He LOVED the sun and heat! It was exciting to see his colors deepen and enhance in the natural light. We are so thankful to have the resources to bring even a little of God's joy to the hearts and minds of those who value and appreciate the beauty of the Lord's creation. He continues to richly bless us and we gratefully give in the way we can. Too often our seniors are far too undervalued in society but we come away learning several things every time we take a few moments to interact with our elder friends. ...for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength. Nehemiah 8:10 We know our Lord created a harmonious world where all things work together for His good. Although we don't see them often, we know our creek has a cleaning crew, going about their business as part of our Savior's grand design. We had this guy take a break for a quick pictorial interview of sorts! Although he looks like he wants a hug, those little pincers can cause a bit of pain.... We opted instead to offer him a rest and send him back to the job! For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Romans 1:20 It is such a blessing when the Lord shows you something that just pricks your heart and encourages you in your walk. Such is the case with dear Pa Mac at Farm Hand's Companion. We have been inspired, uplifted and encouraged with his journey on another homestead adventure of his own. An endeavor he began for a second time in what some would call, his 'later years'; his dogged diligence, youthful enthusiasm and toe-tapping music engage you from the start. Pa Mac's unique historical accounts and educational adventures are woven with humor and scriptural relevance that will have your whole family dreaming of future homesteads! Learn more about his clever chronicles at: www.FarmHandsCompanion.com. And his amazing videos linked below. For the first time ever, Jr. Farmer is growing a watermelon in our garden! He is thrilled beyond words and babies that plant with generous amounts of compost tea he has created. He actually had to move the plant to an area with more sun in the garden and carefully planted it in an old tractor tire stuffed with composted manure while the middle was filled with quality soil. Oh, the waiting! And what the land is, whether it be fat or lean, whether there be wood therein, or not. And be ye of good courage, and bring of the fruit of the land.... Numbers 13:20 Mom was thrilled to harvest her first larger heirloom tomatoes that had ripened. We learned from Farmer Daryl (at the Black Diamond Farmer's Market) that tomatoes will actually go dormant and not ripen as they are saving their energy during excessive heat cycles. We learned from Frankie (at the Orting Farmer's Market) that California growers all plant their tomatoes to grow along the ground (like indeterminate vines), rather than being staked, to keep them cooler in the high heat. Interesting! We love learning tidbits like this, just from talking 'shop' with other farmers in the region. So, this year our first BIG tomatoes didn't ripen until August 12th. Even though they are quiet large, their skin is soft and they are sweet and delicious! Oh, nothing from the store tastes like it does from the garden, trust us on that! This pumpkin, and several others like it are coming up from an heirloom, organic pumpkin we had picked up at the store, but had rotted before we got to eat it. What we bought was not ripened (although we didn't know it at the time) and was a beautiful dark green and yellow speckled squash. This is how it should have looked, and will likely store better because it was able to complete it's growth cycle. The rotten squash was just tossed onto a bed that hadn't been used much along a path to the rabbitry. This year, we dug out the pathway, filled it with wood chips and piled up the extra dirt on these seeds and decaying shell. We are blessed with a large number of squash plants happily growing in this sandy soil we didn't even need to amend! This is a great example of how we are blessed by the natural fertility of the Lord's creation but things can be very different - here's another experience we had:
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