September 5, 2010

It sure feels like fall today. So cool this morning, and so very nice! I went around looking at the garden, fruits and all trying to decide if I was seeing the changes I felt were going on in the weather. Sure enough, I got to the garden and it looked like the end of the season. The second crop of peas, and the row of lima beans really looked like the grass wanted to take over!

So, I decided one way to really make me think it was fall was to look at the Persimmon trees---

For sure they are turning color, now just to beat the squirrels to them!!

Then off I went to see what the citrus was doing

Yep, getting big and made my tummy growl, I could taste those oranges just looking at them!

And since I was out there anyway, I went and let the Ducks out of the duck house, and they were so happy, running around and chasing bugs, quack, quack, quack, so funny!

By then, Lloyd is out at the barn and I can hear the sheep. He is turning them out to pasture and of course they are baaaaaaing and following him down the lane. Beautiful sight, I just had to have a picture of that too!

I hope everyone has a wonderful and safe Labor Day Weekend!

August 29, 2010

I have been working on a design to use on things, like aprons, T-shirts and such, but now have to figure out how to get it there. Machine embroidery is one way to do it, and I have a Singer Futura. I need to learn how to use it and get the design digitlized. New ground for me and I am working on it. Maybe I just need to go paint it!!

Its so cute, and I am still working on it. I think it would be beautiful on a cup or mug, maybe a teapot too!

August 24, 2010

Its still so hot here, but we are able to get out and do some now as it seems to not be quite as bad. Early morning it seems to be cooler, and sometimes the humidity is not so bad, but its still hard to function after about 1 or 2 pm. We replanted the purple hull peas, but its been wet so you can't get the tiller in and I think they have went to grass. We got the gate hung in the pasture so we could get into the NW pasture with the tractor and trailer to start getting in the winter firewood, but haven't started that yet.

Lloyd did some work in the Studio for me, removing some shelving and I rearranged some things to make it easier to load on the trailer and go when an event presented itself that I could attend.

Really looks nice, and its better too for me. Since I have a bubble nose Wells Cargo trailer, everything has to be under about 38 inches to fit in the trailer. I want everything to roll too, just not up to packing stuff anymore!

August 16, 2010

Looks like canning is over for a while now. Wish I had more relish up, but maybe the tomatoes, peppers and eggplant will get going if we can get some rain and cooler weather. Its still so hot.

Easter and Lilianne are growing so fast too! Easter is the cream and Lilianne the blue, both are from Daijon GCA1545HC, his second year lambs.

We need to start getting our firewood in, so we have a gate to hang in the pasture to make it easier for us to get into the NW pasture. Its been so hot we hate to start that, but its going to have to happen fairly soon. Today I am busy in the kitchen, bread, yogurt, cheese and the food dehydrator!

Those beautiful little Silver Spangled Hamburg pullets we got in the spring are beginning to lay the cutiest little eggs now, and the one Wyndotte pullet's little eggs are 2 times the size of theirs. Its so cute!

On another thread, I have been spinning some very beautiful singles. I took 2 rovings of wool and 2 rovings of mohair, wound them into a ball like this

then It is predrafted into loose roving for spinning

When spun into singles it looks like this:

August 5, 2010

I am still canning, and I spend a good part of my time here!

Of course its nearing the end of the season so Lloyd is getting most of the garden ready for fall planting. We are hoping for another crop of Purple Hull Peas, so-----

Its really dry too, we need rain, again!

Lilianne and Easter are getting bigger and more beautiful!

Easter looks more and more like Alyssa!

July 10, 2010

Its still raining off and on, which is really nice for the pastures, but makes the mosquitoes bad. Gardens are still looking good, but its going to be time to till and start the fall gardens as soon as the ground dries out enough for the tractor. I have still been busy canning, and okra is keeping me busy right now along with squash. The winter squashes are starting now---

We have had lots of yellow and scallop squash, but oddly enough none of the Zucchini came up or made and usually we have the most of them and the yellow. The white scallop just out performed itself, and it dehydrates so well. There have been so many that some of them get hard before I can get them put up so Lloyd gives them to the goats, who love them. He just cuts them in half and they eat the seeds and insides! Just too funny, they will be waiting at the gate for him so eager!

July 4, 2010

Today is starting out to be a beautiful day! We have had so much rain and the pastures are just beautiful. Its cool this morning but I am sure that will change later in the morning, more towards noon.

The lambs are growing so big, and are now weaned. Annabelle's twins go to their new home soon, and they are so sweet.

The new rovings are all in now and they are so gorgeous. I have spun about 3/4 of them in sample skeins and the yarns are just so soft and beautiful!

Quickest way to get to the new rovings is from the index page of the catalog at index page

The garden is just about where we need to till it and start the fall garden. Purplehulls are still coming in, and squash everywhere! Tomatoes are just really beginning along with eggplant and peppers, haven't nearly enough of them yet. We still need to get started on winter firewood, but we seem to stay so far behind!

June 15, 2010

Its so hot and humid I wonder we can go at all! Still, we are doing what need to be done on the farm, and the gardens are producing full blast! hehehe, I wonder how they can do it so well in this heat. I got the last of the apples into juice yesterday, and canned some green beans. I am getting things ready for SWIC Retreat this coming weekend.

The yarn rack is all loaded and ready

Beautiful yarns and the new rovings are in. The Rovings are so beautiful I can hardly stand not to be spinning in them. I am spinning small skeins for test/samples, but trying not to dip into them, at least until others have a chance to play with them.

The colors are so wonderful, that its just bliss to stand in the closet door and look!!

June 9, 2010

Its been raining near every day now. We got 5 inches day before yesterday, and its making the pastures look so good, but its also making the gardens really muddy, but its not stopping the crop any. I am canning near every day too. Yesterday it was apples as the storm that dropped the 5 inches on us also blew over a big old apple tree that was loaded. So sad, and we don't know if we can do anything about the tree, but are going to try.

We finished getting the shutters up on the east dinning room windows,

This really makes us feel good too! Now we just have to figure out what to do about that big north dinning room window and the patio door. I hope they are wrong about the storms this year.

The sheep are getting so fat from all the grass that is finally growing again, and the rains have washed all the mud and dirt from them. They had gotten where they needed a bath so bad, hehehe. The lambs are growing so fast, and Annabelle's little boys will be ready to go to their new homes next month. Its time too, since they are getting so big, almost as tall as Annabelle.

I have been spinning and plying getting some beautiful new yarns ready!

and I am still working on them, like these 5 skeins hanging up to dry!

June 1, 2010

I am still canning, and Lloyd is trying to get storm shutters up on the dinning room windows since they are scaring the mess out of everyone with the comming hurricane season preditions!

I am spinning beautiful yarns for the Studio and Retreat every evening and they are beginning to build up respectively now!

The picture on the left is of singles, waiting to be plyed, and I am almost ready to start plying for a while. The picture on the right are skeins ready to be washed and labeled.

I am also working on bath towels, and really need to get back to them. These are in cotton, with the cotton chenile as the pink waffle pattern. I think they are going to be beautiful when finished. I just don't seem to have enough time. Its almost time to pick green beans again, and the plums are still ripeing! We still need rain!

May 23, 2010

The garden is coming in and I am so busy!

The first of the new Rovings are in, and the colors are just gorgeous!

They are now in the catalog, so check them out at Rovings

They start at the bottom of page 2 with the Scarlet and continue on to page 3. There will be more beautiful lots posted as they come in! I am spinning some of it myself right now and it is so fantastic!

May 7, 2010

the garden is looking very good, beans and peas are blooming, and so are the potatoes!

We have started a new project too, a hay shed inclosure.

Of course Lloyd is now peeling poles for rafters and the rafter plate

First you start with a pile of poles:

Then you peel them with a scraper

and while we work, the sheep go in and out, mostly because they can't stand not to try to see what we ar doing!

of course they use the excuse they want a drink!

April 21, 2010

April 12, 2010

hahahahaha, that big tummy of Annabelle's had twins!

We have 4 lambs this year, beautiful, just beautiful!

Annabelle's twins:

Easter

Liliane

April 8, 2010

I just had to show you how beautiful the flowers are this spring. This is the circle drive in front of the Studio!

April 4, 2010

Annabelle is getting so big! Shouldn't be long until the lambs make a show, I am so excited.

March 28, 2010

Shearing is over, and now I just have to get the fleeces ready. I am so overwhelmed with spring right now! Everything is so beautiful, and blooming. Gorgeous weather that makes us want to be out on the farm fixing fences and gates, doing pasture work, getting the garden in! Staying inside is not what we want to do right now!

Here are some pictures of the beautiful flowers in the yard right now, of course the Camelias are almost done, but the Azaelias are just beginning!

March 3, 2010

Wow, I get so behind! Its been cold and wet, nasty type of weather. We are so ready for spring.

You can see how wet it is, and how wintery everything looks. I am so ready for green grass and leafy trees.

I think the only ones that don't care about the winter weather are the ducks, and they seem just fine with it!

We start shearing this weekend. I hope the weather warms up, and the sun is supposed to be beautiful.

January 22, 2010

It seems I am just about finished now. The Studio looks nice, a few things still yet to do, but its exciting to see it working again. The catalog is updated, a few new things to go, but its in full working mode now! I haven't figured out how to put the "no shipping" items up in the catalog yet, but am working on it. The items are items I would not like to ship but are too nice not to let others know they are there, like the oak warping reel that doesn't break down like our reels normally do, and a couple of the spinning wheels that are large and heavy and I would not like to break them down. Still its very exciting to see things up and more back to normal! I need to get washing and dyeing fleeces now, and am eagar to get going.

January 16, 2010

We are coming along with getting the Studio back up. Have some pictures on the Studio page now. It seems I will never get done with the inventory, but I keep working at it every day. I am putting items up in the catalog as soon as I get them inventoried. It seems so slow.

January 2, 2010

The store in DeRidder, Ewe Mom's has closed, and we have all moved back to the farms. The Studio at Running Moon Farm will reopen as soon as we can get it renovated and ready. Hopefully, that won't take too long. There will be the wonderful handspun yarns, some mill spun yarns, all the beautiful tools that we have on hand, encluding drop spindles, warping reels, lazy kates, nostepindes, sett guages, orifice hooks, battons, etc. There will be beautiful new Ashford Spinning wheels, some used wheels, and others for you to try and compare. The nice Ashford supplies will be on hand, along with the Howard Card products, hand cards, and there is a very nice tripple drum carder. The Weaving room will be back working, where you can take classes, rent a loom at the studio to do a project while having a teacher to help. There will be some nice swallow casin knitting needles, bamboo crochet hooks and hopefully some others too. Of course the beautiful finished items will be on display and for sale too. The wonderful Ram's Horn pewter jewelry and the beautiful hand painted/hand wrapped jewelry along with the buttons, clasps and pendular broaches will also be on display and for sale. Fibers in raw, washed, dyed, roving and batts will also be available in Gulf Coast, Mohair, some Romney and Shetland. I will be posting as soon as the Studio is open again, so check back with us, or give us a call. I will be updating the Studio pictures as soon as I can and the Studio is renovated.