Monthly Archives: January 2010

The Misadventures of Wooly Mama

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Oh these last weeks………how trying to my nerves have they been.

The biggest issue we have had is due to the almost 3 feet of snow we got right before christmas.  It piled up all over the electric fence and pulled the wires rather badly.  Half the fence was buried for weeks and we ended up turning off the electric to avoid shorting the whole system.  Everything seemed okay for a few weeks.  Then Milkshakes decided to make a break for it.  Once she realized there was no “shock” to be felt she started ramming the mesh fence until she broke through it.  One time we found her standing on the back deck looking for some company.  Poor Jerry was pacing along the inside of the fence humming like mad for her.  He wasn’t about to test the fence, not after the first time he touched it and it brought him to his knees.  Poor guy.

So, one trip to Lowe’s for additional steel posts later and we spent a cold day repairing the fence and strengthening up the roof of their shelter to get through the rest of the winter.  I’d like to see Miss Goaty pants get through it now.

One project down…….8 million more to go.

Next the chickens decided to get all crazy.  Nothing horrible happened but we have a new “alpha” rooster (my Ruby, now Rubert….) and poor Mr. P-Roo has been relegated to a beat-up bottom of the pecking order chicken.  He looked pretty rough at first and I was worried about how long before I’d have to separate them permanently, but so far it seems to be more or less ok.

In the midst of fixing the fence and worrying about the chickens Oona has taken her “into everything” to a new level.  First, she decided her bangs were far too long for her taste.  And voila!  Now she’s got a baby mullet!

I was (and still am) so upset.  I was waiting for her bangs to grow out so I oculd even out her hair better and make a nice shoulder length bob.  Now….like I said – mullet.  I have pulled out some pretty fabrics and elastic so I can make her some bandanas until it grows out.  Lord I hope she’ll wear them.

Then there’s the chest freezer.  It (stupidly) has the control dial on the front near the floor and to Oona this was a boon from the gods.  She kept turning the dial down to “off” and whenever I’d go into the freezer I’d wonder why everything was so mushy.  So I thought to myself that I’d fix her right good and I put a strip of duct tape over the dial.

Not so much.

I went to put away groceries and all the veggies were mushy.  Oona had pulled off the tape and turned the dial back to off.  We  had to drill a screw there so the dial can no longer be turned at all.

As for the pantry……we could not keep her out of that for anything.  The wasted food……oh the wasted food.  I then made the mistake of allowing Paul to pick out a lock for the doors.

One very expensive purchase later – a keypad lock.  I hate how it looks but it keeps Oona out, that’s for sure.  No more wasted food.

Now, while we’re in the kitchen I’ll tell you about the plumbing.  I think I’ve already mentioned that our upstairs plumbing is bad – our whole ceiling downstairs will need to be replaced and the plumbing all redone.  That’s pretty sad for a house that was built in 2004.  Last night I discovered that the pvc pipe under the sink in the kitchen is busted and leaking.  WHY???  I can’t even figure out how or why this would have happened, since no one goes under the sink for anything.  It had no reason to fail.  I’ll tell you……whoever buys this house after we finally get sick of it will have basically a completely re-built home.

At least there is news on the knitting front to keep the edge off.  I went stash diving and started on Kate Gilbert’s Bird in Hand Mittens, which seem to be taking me forever, but at least they’re fun to work.  I also dredged up wool for a Drive-Thru sweater for Oona.

That green is a celery – like green and the pink is a bit lighter than it looks in the photo.  Oona is very excited – she’s been coveting Neve’s sweater since that was completed.  I am going to start on it today even though I am still working on the mittens.  I am a non – monogamous knitter.  Oh well.

Finally, A Finished Sweater

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I finally finished the Drive-Thru sweater I started for Neve something like……a year ago?  I don’t even know when I started it.  I know I bought the yarn and the pattern when I was pregnant with Oona, and I finished Emily’s version of it in the fall of ’08…… and I think I started casting on Neve’s not long thereafter.  Anyway, it’s all done but the blocking.

I really really like how this one came out.  The bottom edges curl up pretty badly so it looks in the pictures like one side is shorter than the other.  That will go away once I’ve blocked it.

The biggest problem I’ve had with this sweater is Oona.  As soon as it was off the needles she was trying to steal it.  She cried last night when she saw it go on Neve, and ever since she’s been asking for her own.

Can I have my sweater now mama?

I am thinking she’d look cute in a nice lime green one with light pink stripes on the yoke.  Very spring-y.  Also very optimistic on my part that it would be done by spring.  Maybe if I stopped cleaning and cooking and worrying about what Oona is getting into every 2 minutes? I can’t decide if she should get a pullover or cardigan.  I’ll have to think about it some more.

In other news, we got a light dusting of snow overnight so there was a 2 hour delay.  It’s kind of a running joke amongst those of us northern transplants here. Not that I am complaining.  I quite enjoyed the extra sleep.  Now if they could stay there until 5 or so I might have a chance at some of those Shortbread Toffee Chocolate Chip cookies I made yesterday.   With thanks to the Juniper Moon Farm crew for pointing that recipe out – YUM!


The Hidden Dangers of Christmas Trees, and Other New Year’s Stories

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That’s my boy, hiding out in there, waiting to reach out and snag someone with a claw.  These trees should come with a warning.  May attract ferocious purring kitty cats.

So the holidays are done and cleaned up.  And 2010…..isn’t feeling any less hectic than 2009.

We kicked off the year by making a gingerbread house together (and then promptly eating it).  Oona had a sugar high you’d have to see to  believe.

Later that evening Neve decided to try some of her stick – on rhinestone jewelry and got one stuck in her ear. Can I tell you how NOT fun that was?  We spent a good half hour with a flashlight, peroxide and tweezers before I finally got the sucker out of there.  I was afraid we were headed to the ER, because it looked at one point as though it was headed further in toward her ear drum.

This is the same child who sat down to eat next to me a few days ago and remarked that she was surprised at all the gifts she got this year.   Now, let me tell you – these kids got WAY less this year than in years past, and they even said as much on Christmas morning (Hey…..that’s it???).

When I asker her to clarify, she said, Well I was really bad a lot this year.  And I still got presents.

I was beginning to panic a bit and I said Well maybe that’s why you got so much less this year.

But you know what she said?  Yeah but I was really bad and I still GOT presents!

I guess Santa cut her some slack.  I told her not to expect it two years in a row.  Yikes.

And still speaking of Neve…..she lost a tooth 2 nights ago.

When we went to check on her to see if she’d fallen asleep yet she was wide awake in her bed with Sushi the cat laying on her chest, a paw in each of Neve’s hands while Neve had Sushi doing some sort of kitty conga.  Sushi, the cat you can’t even look at without her running away.  Putty in Neve’s hands.

Paul said it’s because every evil genius needs a kitty cat.

He’s probably right.