God, I Love Goats!

The handsome cat pictured above is our Ross enjoying the great outdoors.  We live in the country and spend a fair bit of time gardening and growing our own food. I love every minute of this rewarding lifestyle.   Even so I can't escape a nagging yearning for chickens, maybe a goat would be nice, or a cute sheep or two to mow the lawn.; its enticing this idea. 

So You (Don't Particularly) Want to Be a Farmer (click here for article)  is an article that runs along the same lines a bit long but definately well worth the read. When I started reading the article I realized how much I actualy do have a hankering to be a farmer or "the farm brain worms"  as the writer puts it. I really appreciated the author's brevity and sense of humour.

My parents moved out to a small hobby farm when I was a teenager.  I went through my high school years taking the school bus, chasing ducks and chickens and picking up eggs, and plucking the occasional chicken.  I don't remember any of the real responsibilites of raising chickens and ducks just that they got into everything and chickens really are quite stupid and ducks don't mind the occasional cuddle.  I would be game to give it a try someday; when my hubby isn't looking, a little chicken house will pop up in the back yard. or Maybe next time I reach across the table to my loved one, my words of endearment will echo this farming disease with " God, I love goats."

Railway Ties as Fenceposts

I have driven by this fence a number of times and each time I consider the effort it would take to plant these ties into the ground.  I know because I spent a summer moving railway ties while making a flower bed.  Each tie weighs upwards of 100lbs, and in this case they are planted in a mile long stretch. No barbed wire is laced between posts to tie them together and as a result they crumble, faint and wend askew the entire length of the fence.

Boxed In Exhibition

Here is an invitation to "Boxed In" an exhibition of contemporary craft work by artists including myself along with artists from across Canada.  67 artists are included in this exhibition and the show will be on display in two exhibiton sites, the Rooms and the Gallery of the Craft Council of Newfoundland and Labrador from January 25 to April 14.

Here is a link to the art gallery where my artwork will be on display.
http://www.therooms.ca/artgallery/

Christmas in the Making

This is the most productive time of the year, from baking cookies to making Chritstmas gifts and ornaments, I love this time of year.  This year I have been busy making fingerless gloves from bits of scrap sock yarn.  As fast as I make things they usually disappear, snatched up by friends and family alike.  A few pair are shown below.

A tradition in my family at Christmas time has been to get together and have a craft day.  This year I had the pleasure of making a tree for another tradition a fundraiser in Winnipeg called the Festival of Trees and Lights.  Myself along with three compatriots hand made a collection of ornaments to decorate the tree.  We decided on a cat theme for the tree as we are all cat lovers and called it "Meowy Christmas."  Here are a couple of photos of the various decorations.