Kathryn's Brain

Gunnar's first visit at his first home.

noreply@blogger.com (Kathryn Ray) — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 11:44:00 +0000

We took Gunnar on his first visit to his first home last weekend. He got to play with his litter-mate/sister, Molly, his half-brother, Ferdinand and his momma, Janey.

Gunnar recognized his breeder right away
and was very happy to see him.

running like the wind

Molly

Molly putting Gunnar in his place

The little kids picking on their bigger brother, Ferdinand

Tired Puppies

Gunnar had a very good visit. He slept most of the way home, greeted the other dogs and alpacas then went for another nap. We'll be visiting again soon. :-)

Fiber Arts Friday: The Wild Fire Edition

noreply@blogger.com (Kathryn Ray) — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 14:11:00 +0000

I went to the Estes Park Wool Market last weekend and was planning on sharing that with you today. Especially since it was the anniversary of the start of the High Park Fire which burned near here last summer.

The High Park Fire became the most destructive in the state's history, when you consider homes and property improvements damaged or destroyed. The record only stood for a few days when the Waldo Canyon Fire in Colorado Springs became the most destructive. We were feeling grateful that fire season hadn't started and that it was still looking quite green in our area.

Then earlier this week, I visited the Spun: Adventures in Textiles exhibit at the Denver Art Museum with some of my family and I thought I might share that trip with you.

It was a lovely day and fantastic exhibit that was hampered by smoke from the newest, most destructive fire in the state's history. The Black Forest Fire, near Colorado Springs.

In both cases, the Black Forest Fire is smaller than the last two, but has already destroyed more homes. As of this morning, it was 379 homes and 15,700 acres burned... and it is only a few days old.

Evacuations are in progress. The generosity of the people nearby, who can help is astounding. I witnessed someone making a plea on an online Alpaca Group for trailer assistance in evacuating livestock and having it met.

I've heard that the few people we've met in the area are safe and are helping others as best they can.

Livestock (including alpacas) are being evacuated to the Elbert County Fairgrounds unless the farmers have made other arrangements.

I know that most of my readers are not in the Colorado Front Range area, but if you are, and are able, please consider making a donation of feed or hay to the evacuees. We will be making a hay donation when we get feed later today. It's not a lot, but I know that every little bit helps... and with 379 homes already destroyed, the need for the animals and their people will be in place for a long time.

The Alpaca Breeders of the Rockies has set up an account for those who would like to donate feed and hay. Black Forest Fire Alpaca Fund, ABR, PO Box 1965, Estes Park, CO, 80517 or call 970-586-5589.

9 Cares, Colorado Shares are taking food donations this weekend and of course, The Red Cross are great places to help as well as many other organizations.

There are a few other fires in the state, including the Royal Gorge Fire, also near Colorado Springs and the Big Meadows Fire in Rocky Mountain National Park, directly west of us, all of which are significantly smaller.

By the way, we are safe. Our farm is about two hours north of the Black Forest Fire.

I hope that you are safe where you are and enjoying a beautiful spring, Fiber Arts Friday.

Hay Delivery - June 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Kathryn Ray) — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 13:08:00 +0000

The good news is that we finally got hay delivered last weekend.

The bad news is that the supply is at the end of the last 2012 cutting, so I'll be buying again in August.

The good news is that the first cutting has started, so hopefully we will see the prices return to normal. Fingers crossed for a plentiful harvest this year.

Fiber Arts Friday: Spinning Green Cotton

noreply@blogger.com (Kathryn Ray) — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 14:20:00 +0000

I am currently spinning Naturally Colored (green, although it looks sort of yellow in the photo) Cotton. It is going slowly...

But I enjoy spinning cotton.

Happy Fiber Arts Friday!

The Cleanse that Doesn't Suck

noreply@blogger.com (Kathryn Ray) — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 14:04:00 +0000

I signed up for a nutritional cleanse last month that was offered by a friend who is a Holistic Health Coach.

I had never done a cleanse before and wasn't exactly sure what I was agreeing to. But I trust my friend and another friend was also participating. So I signed up.

We had a kick-off call a couple of days before it started to set expectations and make introductions. This was the first I had really thought much beyond the time commitment... basically it was eliminating a bunch of foods and following a vegan diet for three weeks. Going for mostly raw and a few specifics for what to do and not do.

Starting out... I knew that eliminating the sugar, meat, eggs and alcohol would not be a problem. Caffeine and gluten were certainly doable, but would require some thought. The big thing for me was going to be the dairy. I eat a lot of cheese and yogurt and a fair amount of milk... as in I have been trying to make our own yogurt because we eat so much of it.

After the cleanse... It turned out that animal protein was the hardest part to go without. Mostly this is because of shearing season. Shearing is a very physical job and the food I was eating, while providing a lot of immediate energy, was not sticking with me. So, I broke a lot of the rules at least once.

I did not experience the lack-of-caffeine headache. I did not feel like my eating was stifled or limited. I did not go hungry. I may have lost a few pounds... I'm not diligent about weighing myself, so I'm not certain about that last one.

My first soda, cake and coffee were not satisfying. My first turkey, bacon, sourdough bread and cheese were all very satisfying.

What did I learn?

Eating breakfast and taking time each morning for myself is a good thing. Before the cleanse started I was waking up, making coffee and going straight to the Day Job... no breakfast, no slow-ease into the day, just wake and work.

Drinking warm lemon water helps with the after-effects of eating beans... almost instantly.

This cleanse reinforced that we eat a well-balanced diet. Some of the people were having a hard time, but I never felt restricted. I never had any pain or discomfort and I generally slept a little better.

Would I do it again? Yes. But not during shearing season.

Slow Living: May 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Kathryn Ray) — Sat, 01 Jun 2013 12:48:00 +0000

May 1st looked like this:

9 inches of snow

Yesterday looked like this:

Lush, green and already mowed, twice

I think it's safe to say that were are finally past winter. :-) Which means it's time for the May installment for the Slow Living Project.

NOURISH: Make and bake as much as possible from scratch. Ditch overpackaged, over-processed convenience foods and opt for 'real' food instead. Share favourite links/recipes/tips from the month here.

I'm in the process of a nutritional cleanse, so there have been a lot of juices, smoothies, beans and veggie stir-fries. But before that started there were meatballs from scratch (pretty sure I won't be doing that again anytime soon) and the last of our spaghetti squash from last year's garden.

PREPARE: Stockpile and preserve. Freeze extra meals or excess garden/market produce. Bottle/can, dehydrate or pickle foods to enjoy when they are not in season. Aim to reduce dependency on store bought items especially those known to contain BPA and other suspect additives. Stocking up on dry goods when prices are low counts too.

I have to say, there hasn't been much outside of the day job and alpaca shearing.

REDUCE/Reuse/Re-purpose/Repair: Cut down on household waste by re-using, re-purposing and repairing. A ladder into a strawberry planter? A sheet into a dress? Share ideas and project links here, allowing others to be inspired.

Hmmm... well, we had the car repaired. I suppose that counts. :-/

Miss Wasabi has the sweetest face

GREEN: up our lives. Start (or continue!) using homemade cleaners, body products and basic herbal remedies. The options are endless, the savings huge and the health benefits enormous.

I rearranged two cabinets in the Kitchen earlier this year which has resulted in an increased use of re-usable food-storage containers and a decrease in plastic zipper bags. It would be nice to have one or two larger containers but I'm very happy that all I had to do was make something more accessible to see our behavior change.

Chives

GROW: plant/harvest. What's growing this month? What's being eaten from the garden? Herbs in a pot, sprouts on a windowsill or and entire fruit/vegetable garden -opt for what fits space and time constraints. Don't have a backyard? Ask a friendly neighbour or relative for a small patch of theirs in return for some home grown produce, they may surprise you!

We got both snow and rain this month, so I only have one row of seeds and a clump of chives planted so far. I have plans for planting more this weekend, but it will only be a few hours here and there.

Our fruit trees have blossomed. We definitely have cherries and a few plums in progress. I don't think we'll get many apples or peaches. I'm crossing my fingers for pears, but I'm not certain yet if we'll be seeing any of those. I also have a few volunteer onions.

Cherry Blossom

We sheared our alpacas and I have been shearing for clients on weekends this month.

CREATE: to fill a need or feed the soul. Create for ourselves or for others. Create something as simple as a handmade gift tag or something as extravagant as a fine knit shawl. Share project details and any new skills learnt here.

The Kombucha is still happening but the knitting and spinning are taking a back seat to shearing and the day job. The yogurt making is also on hiatus until the cleanse is over.

This year's Alpaca Fiber Harvest

DISCOVER: Feed the mind by reading texts relevant to current interests. Trawl libraries, second hand shops or local book shops to find titles that fill the need. Share titles/authors of what is being read this month.

Every day I shear, I learn something... handling techniques, nutrition, supply sources.

ENHANCE: community: Possibilities include supporting local growers and producers, help out at a local school/kindergarten, barter or foodswap, joining a playgroup or forming a walking or craft group. Car pooling where possible and biking/walking instead of driving. Even start up a blog if you haven't already - online communities count too! Or maybe just help out someone trying to cross the street! The rewards for your time are often returned tenfold.

We were on the receiving end of this one a lot this month.... My Momma spent several days with me to help keep tabs on the puppy while Hubba was in Korea for a race and some very, good friends helped us shear our herd.

ENJOY: Life! Embrace moments with friends and family. Marking the seasons, celebrations and new arrivals are all cause for enjoyment. Share a moment to be remembered from the month here.

I enjoyed my Momma's visit. The dogs adore her, as do I. :-)

I'm enjoying watching Gunnar grow and learn. He's doing a great job with the alpacas and big dogs.

Gunnar fitting in perfectly

I'm enjoying shearing... meeting new alpacas and their people and seeing ones I've known for a while.

I enjoyed a visit with a dear friend from Canada who I have not seen in more than a year.

Fiber Arts Friday: Shearing Day, 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Kathryn Ray) — Fri, 31 May 2013 12:37:00 +0000

We sheared our herd of alpacas two weeks ago.

We had a great crew of friends who came out to help us. The dogs were great with everyone and the girls charmed Keyla, our most difficult alpaca. She got a proper hair cut this year. She's not currently pregnant and she usually begins to prolapse during shearing, but all was well this year. Whew.

The only injury was a cut to my little finger on the last alpaca, although there were a few bruises and a couple of raspberries.

16 alpacas are a lot more than the 13 we had last year. ;-) We are only expecting one cria this summer, so we will most likely have 17 alpacas next year. Our friends have said it would be better to break it into two days. So we'll keep our fingers crossed that they are willing to come back for two days next year. ;-)

Happy Fiber Arts Friday..

Fiber Arts Friday: My Unusual Fiber Stash

noreply@blogger.com (Kathryn Ray) — Fri, 17 May 2013 14:16:00 +0000

Some questions popped up a "few week's ago" about what rare fiber I was planning to spin next.

I am usually willing to oblige.... ;-)

I am of the mind that nearly everything that is fibrous is spin-able and I am mostly interested in spinning single-source fibers. As such, I have a few rare or unusual fibers in my stash.

I am also lucky that when I first learned to spin I had access to a Local Yarn Shop (Village Wools in Albuquerque, NM) that had a wide selection of interesting fibers for the spinners in the area. I also had access to the Taos Wool Festival which had amazing, single-breed options and now the Estes Park Wool Market which also has some unusual, prepared, fibers available. Lastly my cousin and her family have decided that finding fibers for me to spin is a bit of a sport.

As a result I have an interesting collection of rare and unusual fibers for spinning.... or, at least I think it's interesting. ;-)

Cashmere and Cashmere+Silk. I have not spun Cashmere or even a Cashmere blend yet. I'm looking forward to trying it.

Camel. I have a small amount of raw camel collected by my cousin... I have spun baby camel and a camel blend. It is divine... so much so that Hubba spent some time shopping for a camel. I'm happy that he decided they are a little too big for our fences and a little too disagreeable for our preferences. ;-)

Yak. Cloud and Roving. I had been saving this because I think it's very special and I did not want to mess it up. But I think my skills are up to par now, so it's waiting for inspiration. I don't want to spin it for spinning sake, I want to make sure I know what it will be before I put it on my wheel.

Black Bear. Hair and Down... both found by my cousins... in their back yard. I attempted to spin the hair a while back, but it is too stiff for spinning... at least at my current skill level. It might be interesting in a blend, or might be better for the embroidery that Vivian mentioned way back when... The Down is quite soft and will be a lovely yarn.

Rocky Mountain Goat... also found by my cousins... on a hike. I'm about half-way thru the picking and cleaning. Hubba doesn't like me cleaning fiber in the house, so it only gets attention when I have time and weather to support it.

Milk. Yep, fiber made from a protein in Cow's Milk. I made an attempt at spinning this a few weeks ago... it's very much like silk, with a very long staple length and very "fly-away." I realize that's a lot of "very." I decided that I was not in the right frame of mind and plan to spin this at a later date.

Navajo-Churro. This is the only sheep's wool in my stash right now. I've only spun a little of it. It drafts nicely, but the guard hair (prized in this breed of sheep) makes for a tough time on the fingers. I love the way it smells.

I also have a few ounces of llama, several pounds of Tibetan Mastiff and a large amount of Huacaya Alpaca in my stash, which will get much larger since we are shearing our herd tomorrow.

Currently I am working on a Naturally Colored (Green) Cotton. The colored cottons have not been bred like the white cottons and were (still?) nearly extinct, so the staple length is very short... ~1/2 inch. My first attempt was pitiful, but this time it is going beautifully.

I have quite a lot to spin and am planning a 2-ply so this will be in progress for a while.

I am on the watch for more Qiviut and Bison. The Qiviut was so amazing, that I think I will always be in search of more. The Bison was challenging enough that I want to get better at it.

I am also on the watch for Vicuna and Guanaco. I have yet to touch, let alone spin either of these.

Also with so many Elk nearby and it being spring I continue to hope to find some shed Elk, but so far, nada.

Finally, if I happen upon any Possum roving I would absolutely give it a try. I have felt some yarn and knitted gloves made of Possum and was surprised by how soft it was. I think it would be interesting to spin.

Have you spun any interesting or unusual fibers? Did you enjoy it?

Happy Fiber Arts Friday!

Sliding Block Puzzel

noreply@blogger.com (Kathryn Ray) — Fri, 10 May 2013 16:55:00 +0000

It's a bit of a sliding block puzzle around here right now.

I have a small barn. Honestly, "barn" is a generous term. It's more like a loafing shed with doors, but small is correct. We store hay and feed in the barn. We shear in the barn. We cannot do both very well at the same time.

One bay is for hay, one bay is for alfalfa and the last bay is for feed and other supplies. As we approach shearing day everything gets moved into the hay bay because we shear in the alfalfa bay.

So it's a bit of a game to ensure that we don't have too much on hand and that we don't run out.

Generally we shear the last weekend in April, but this year my regular helpers were unavailable and everyone else I asked was also busy that weekend, so we rescheduled for next weekend.

The good news is that I shear our alpacas so I'm not tied to a traveling crew's schedule that has been booked since January. The bad news is that I'm dependent on my friends being able (and willing) to help.

I also have local shearing clients which means my available weekends were also limited, but fortunately, I have some wonderful friends who will be helping us out next weekend... three weeks later than originally planned.

It turned out to be a blessing in that we got a huge amount of snow and a hard freeze of +11F a few days after the original planned shearing day... both of which would have been difficult with 16 freshly nekkid alpacas.

The scary part is that I planned our hay purchases for shearing day at the end of April and not the middle of May.

I have ~5 weeks of alfalfa still in stock, so we're good there. The part that's giving me heartburn is that I have only about 8 days of hay left and we are shearing in 8 days.

It doesn't make sense to have hay delivered this week because I won't have a place to shear if I take on a whole load. So I'm resigning myself to a few trips to the feed store over the next few days to bridge us until I can schedule a delivery for after shearing day.

I look forward to having a proper barn and hay storage one day and perhaps even our own hay field too.

Happy Spring! :-)

Fiber Arts Friday: Wingspan, part 10

noreply@blogger.com (Kathryn Ray) — Fri, 10 May 2013 13:38:00 +0000

My Forever Wingspan continues...

It hasn't seen much activity since February, but I got new tires for the truck yesterday so I brought it along thinking I might have to wait...

About an hour later... the truck had new shoes and I had finished off the 10th wedge. Which makes the Wingspan officially one wedge larger then when I ripped it out. Woo Hoo!

I think this will end up being 16 or 17 wedges total, so I'm sad to say that you may be hearing about this scarf for a while. ;-)

I hope you're having a great Fiber Arts Friday.

Volunteers!

noreply@blogger.com (Kathryn Ray) — Wed, 08 May 2013 14:08:00 +0000

I haven't been able to get any planting done, but I spied a few onion volunteers in the 1st garden over the weekend. :-)

Slow Living: April 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Kathryn Ray) — Wed, 01 May 2013 23:53:00 +0000

We have gotten so much snow this month and we have even more as I write this.

It's not unusual to get snow in April, or May for that matter. But somehow April had more snow than October + November + December... or, at least that's how I remember it. I'm having trouble finding the objective evidence to support my memory. ;-) The good news is that our drought conditions are improving and we are seeing much less lake bottom than we were a few weeks ago, but we have a long way to go.

Can you believe it's May Day already? I guess that means it's time for my April installment for the Slow Living Project. :-)

NOURISH: Make and bake as much as possible from scratch. Ditch overpackaged, over-processed convenience foods and opt for 'real' food instead. Share favourite links/recipes/tips from the month here.

With all of the snow, we've also had warmer temperatures so there has been more outdoor cooking this month... Protein simply seasoned with salt and pepper and grilled then served with a green salad and rice or potatoes has been a favorite this month. Left-overs are often eaten for lunch.... Hubba can be quite creative with a quesadilla.

PREPARE: Stockpile and preserve. Freeze extra meals or excess garden/market produce. Bottle/can, dehydrate or pickle foods to enjoy when they are not in season. Aim to reduce dependency on store bought items especially those known to contain BPA and other suspect additives. Stocking up on dry goods when prices are low counts too.

This month has been mostly about preparing for Shearing Season which starts this weekend and our puppy who moved in almost 2 weeks ago.

REDUCE/Reuse/Re-purpose/Repair: Cut down on household waste by re-using, re-purposing and repairing. A ladder into a strawberry planter? A sheet into a dress? Share ideas and project links here, allowing others to be inspired.

I have attempted to make home made yogurt a couple of times in hopes of reducing the number of plastic containers entering our home and filling our cupboards. But I am having trouble with the temperature maintenance during the incubation period. So, one more try and then I may have to give in and buy the appliance.

GREEN: up our lives. Start (or continue!) using homemade cleaners, body products and basic herbal remedies. The options are endless, the savings huge and the health benefits enormous.

I received a SCOBY from a friend and started making our own Kombucha. It's going very well and we have been reusing all kinds of glass jars.

No planting yet, but some of my fruit trees started flowering yesterday. They are covered in snow today and we are expecting a hard freeze tonight. Hopefully this won't mean the end of my plums for this year.

CREATE: to fill a need or feed the soul. Create for ourselves or for others. Create something as simple as a handmade gift tag or something as extravagant as a fine knit shawl. Share project details and any new skills learnt here.

There has been a little bit of knitting and spinning as well as yogurt and kombucha making.

DISCOVER: Feed the mind by reading texts relevant to current interests. Trawl libraries, second hand shops or local book shops to find titles that fill the need. Share titles/authors of what is being read this month.

A found Wild Turkey Feather, Great Horned Owls and newborn Cottontail Rabbit Kits have all had me researching the answers to questions this month.

ENHANCE: community: Possibilities include supporting local growers and producers, help out at a local school/kindergarten, barter or foodswap, joining a playgroup or forming a walking or craft group. Car pooling where possible and biking/walking instead of driving. Even start up a blog if you haven't already - online communities count too! Or maybe just help out someone trying to cross the street! The rewards for your time are often returned tenfold.

I helped a friend move into their new house.

ENJOY: Life! Embrace moments with friends and family. Marking the seasons, celebrations and new arrivals are all cause for enjoyment. Share a moment to be remembered from the month here.

Early in the month, Hubba and I took an impromptu drive to "look" at property. I had a feeling I should bring my camera.

I'm so glad I did. We happened upon four LARGE herds of elk, including a small group of bachelors. Most were just starting to grow their antlers for the year.

The elk are shedding. The Fiber Artist in me wanted to "ask" for some samples, but a little self-awareness, and a cautioning Hubba kept me close to the car... or in the case of this last photo, inside the car... these guys were VERY close, VERY big and, of course, are VERY wild.

And just when I thought the wildlife viewing couldn't get any better... Great Horned Owls!

Gunnar, our now 11-week old Tibetan Mastiff is the source of a huge amount of giggles.

Wasabi, our 14-month old Tibetan Mastiff and I have started taking Conformation Classes.

I think she enjoys the one-on-one time together. I know I do. :-)

I am enjoying the snow, not exactly enjoying the resulting mud and looking forward to May when I hope to put some seeds in the ground. Happy Spring. :-)

Owls

noreply@blogger.com (Kathryn Ray) — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 01:24:00 +0000

Hubba and I were out for errands on this completely, gorgeous afternoon and saw cars pulled over and people walking with cameras.

He exclaimed, "There's something in that tree!" But all we could figure out was that there was a nest. So we decided to drive past on our way back.

I saw there were chicks and was pretty sure they were raptors, but couldn't tell if they were eagles or owls.

So I came back later with my camera. :-)

Can you see her?

stretching those wings

Last photo as I was starting to leave, then...

A 3rd owlet popped up

and gave us a little show.

Clearly these are Horned Owls, but I have not done enough research to know if these are Great Horned Owls or if there are other varieties of Horned Owls.

Living in Colorado continues to amaze me.

Fiber Arts Friday: Shaking the Funk

noreply@blogger.com (Kathryn Ray) — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 13:27:00 +0000

I've felt a bit of a funk lately. The explosions at the Boston Marathon didn't help and neither did all of the snow we've received over the last two weeks.

But my Donegal Hat is finished.

Yes, I have one (1!) end to weave in and still to soak it. It is not nearly as scratchy as I thought it would be. So I don't expect to be knitting a liner for it.

All of the snow has turned our pasture green... and our grass... at least what survived last summer is currently green.

It's was more than 60F when I took these photos yesterday. The sun was shining and yes, that is snow on the right. We have snow in the forecast.

I hate the advertisements on the free apps... um, no thank you. :-/

The traditional last freeze is Mother's Day (2nd Sunday in May) and to be honest, Memorial Day (last Monday in May) can often be quite cold around here. So it really is not unusual and I'm happy that we aren't seeing as much lake-bottom as we were a few weeks ago.

Our Cherry, and other fruit trees are nearly ready to leaf out. Which reminds me to make sure I have enough CDs available to hang in the branches once we have fruit.

Our dogs are ridiculously cute and sweet.

I love having a puppy again.

He has two brothers and one sister who are available, if you feel the NEED for a Tibetan Mastiff. I have photos and can put you in touch. :-)

The house next door was a short sale, then a foreclosure and has essentially been vacant for 9 months. It closed last Friday. So we have new neighbors! They are nice and excited about the dogs and alpacas.

So, I'm shaking the funk. Life really is good. I am happy. But sometimes the world gets heavy.

Happy Fiber Arts Friday. :-)

Just the Facts

noreply@blogger.com (Kathryn Ray) — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 20:29:00 +0000

21 inches snowed and melted over the last 10 days.

Introducing: Timberline's Colorado Gunnison (aka Gunnar)

noreply@blogger.com (Kathryn Ray) — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 17:09:00 +0000

We've been waiting for the right boy for what seems like a very long time.

We were excited to learn that this litter would, indeed happen and made several visits with the Breeder, Timberline Tibetan Mastiffs, over the last few months to visit the puppies (Puppy Therapy and More Puppy Therapy).

Our puppy is now 9 weeks old and moved in on Thursday.

Since we have grown dogs (four now), we always make a point to do the introductions one-on-one in a neutral location. However with all of the snow we received earlier this week, that was not possible and we made the introductions in the garage, which is dogs' territory.

They all did well and were playing together in a matter of minutes.

Since Thursday, we've been working on things like walking on a leash, coming when he's called, and going in the potty place. He's doing very well at all of these so far. :-)

He's also met a couple of the alpacas.

Timberline's Colorado Gunnison is the son of Timberline's Barni Drakyi (Barnes) and Timberline's Janey. We will be calling him Gunnar.

Marathon Monday

noreply@blogger.com (Kathryn Ray) — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 22:06:00 +0000

Hubba ran today's Boston Marathon.

He doesn't like crowds, so we booked him a room outside of the city.

He was back at the room when the explosions happened. So he is safe.

The other runners from Loveland are also safe.

Many people are not.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the other racers and spectators.

Spring in the Rockies

noreply@blogger.com (Kathryn Ray) — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 18:06:00 +0000

I've been feeling frustrated that I haven't gotten my seeds in the ground yet. I guess I should give myself some slack. ;-)

Brewing Kombucha at Home

noreply@blogger.com (Kathryn Ray) — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 02:31:00 +0000

Hubba loves Kombucha. I like some Kombucha.

With Hubba's love, we've been bothered by the number of bottles going to the recycling bin. We had tossed around the idea of making our own, but hadn't really gotten beyond talking and a small bit of reading.

Then my friend Kristi offered that she had some SCOBYs that would be ready to share, so I jumped at the chance. First, having the starter rather than beginning from scratch and second, having Kristi's wisdom available made the whole process a little less scary. ;-)

The donated SCOBY made it home in one piece and I set it up on a shelf in my office and covered it with a towel. It's supposed to be kept in a warm, dark place, out of the way so it doesn't get disturbed and away from fruit, for some reason.

I left it there for nearly two weeks, checking on it occasionally. It was exciting to see the "baby" SCOBY being formed.

I tasted it for the first time on day 12 of brewing. It was a bit vinegary so I plan to start tasting the next batches sooner. Also, as we approach summer and the house gets warmer, I expect the Kombucha will brew faster.

I pulled together two flavoring/recipe suggestions, made our next batch of black tea (Pekoe I brought home from India a few years ago) and brewed two 1/2 gallons.

Since I needed to reserve 2 cups of Kombucha from the first batch, that only left about 48 ounces available for flavoring. I decided to use two pickle jars we had set aside a while back... Everything I read had me concerned about using soap and chlorinated tap water for cleaning and I'm not exactly sure how the "rinsing in vinegar" thing works yet.. at least without using large quantities of it. The pickle jars are short enough to fit in my regular soup pot for water-bath sterilization... no soap, no vinegar and no bad bugs. :-)

The Grolsch style bottles are often recommended, but I also found resources that said both canning jars and re-using other jars is acceptable... as long as the head-space is minimized, the pressure is less likely to build up too much that the risk of "rapid seal failure" is minimized. So far, so good. ;-)

We had our first taste of the flavored Kombucha on Friday. Hubba, who had been a skeptic about the whole process proclaimed with a big smile, "It tastes like Kombucha!"

A few resources I've found helpful: Delicious Obsessions, Food Renegade, Weston A Price, Cultures for Health, Fiber Fool.

Fiber Arts Friday: I'm a Winner!

noreply@blogger.com (Kathryn Ray) — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 13:48:00 +0000

Wha??? I won something? Yea!

I've been wanting to crochet something, but haven't had the right project bite me yet...

I have Denise's most recent collection and printed out one of the patterns I really liked... and, of course, it's the only one in the collection that is a knit. I haven't started it yet, so perhaps there will be something delicious in this magazine?

Thank you very much Denise! I promise to put your yarn to good, crochet use. :-)

Happy Fiber Arts Friday.

Fiber Arts Friday: Spinning Bison

noreply@blogger.com (Kathryn Ray) — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 14:16:00 +0000

Well, it seems I've been on a bit of a spinning kick lately. ;-)

I had a small amount (1/4 ounce) of Bison that came in the same package as the Qiviut.

All I can really say is that spinning Bison is the exact opposite experience as spinning Qiviut. This preparation of Bison was hairy with a varied staple length.

It required a tight twist to keep the yarn from separating.

All of the hair and varied lengths has resulted in a more rustic looking yarn. The downy part is quite soft though. So I suppose with more practice and perhaps a different preparation I could make a nicer yarn. I plant to look for more at the Estes Park Wool Market in June.

Happy Fiber Arts Friday.

Slow Living: March 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Kathryn Ray) — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 23:30:00 +0000

Somehow it's already time for the March installment for the Slow Living Project. I guess that means it's been a busy month. ;-)

NOURISH: Make and bake as much as possible from scratch. Ditch overpackaged, over-processed convenience foods and opt for 'real' food instead. Share favourite links/recipes/tips from the month here.

We've been experimenting in the food department, and I've been feeling little bits of inspiration... We've had several versions of Brussels Sprouts, which I've recently learned can be quite delicious and not at all like the nasty, yucky things my mother made me eat as a kid. I made up a pork stir-fry and my first-ever leg of lamb. We went out for a Korean feast with Hubba's coach, who is originally from Korea and tried all kinds of new-to-me foods. We made Sushi Rice for the first time and experimented with a few new-to-us recipes. Cooking is a lot more fun when you're feeling inspired. :-)

PREPARE: Stockpile and preserve. Freeze extra meals or excess garden/market produce. Bottle/can, dehydrate or pickle foods to enjoy when they are not in season. Aim to reduce dependency on store bought items especially those known to contain BPA and other suspect additives. Stocking up on dry goods when prices are low counts too.

I finally got to do some garden preparations yesterday (!) and received my first ever SCOBY from a friend earlier this month. There will be veggie planting and Kombucha making soon. :-)

REDUCE/Reuse/Re-purpose/Repair: Cut down on household waste by re-using, re-purposing and repairing. A ladder into a strawberry planter? A sheet into a dress? Share ideas and project links here, allowing others to be inspired.

I don't believe we accomplished anything out of the ordinary in this category... but are taking some steps that should reduce a large amount of waste... fingers crossed that these plans work as intended.

GREEN: up our lives. Start (or continue!) using homemade cleaners, body products and basic herbal remedies. The options are endless, the savings huge and the health benefits enormous.

I might be reaching for this one... I use a Neti Pot fairly often. Especially after sweeping, dusting or digging in the dirt. It's just warm water and salt and keeps me from having to use allergy and cold meds, for the most part. It keeps those sinus related headaches almost non-existent. I do still occasionally get sick or have bad allergies but usually that's because I've been running myself too hard.

GROW: plant/harvest. What's growing this month? What's being eaten from the garden? Herbs in a pot, sprouts on a windowsill or and entire fruit/vegetable garden -opt for what fits space and time constraints. Don't have a backyard? Ask a friendly neighbour or relative for a small patch of theirs in return for some home grown produce, they may surprise you!

We had a fair amount of snow in March and a little bit of rain which has been wonderful. It means though, that I wasn't able to get into my garden until yesterday, 3/31. I, hopefully, will be able to get my early-season seeds into the ground next weekend. In the meantime the pastures are turning green and the trees are on the verge of budding out.

CREATE: to fill a need or feed the soul. Create for ourselves or for others. Create something as simple as a handmade gift tag or something as extravagant as a fine knit shawl. Share project details and any new skills learnt here.

I have been spinning up a storm.... wool/mohair and Qiviut as well as a few other fibers that I have yet to share. :-)

A little tease from a friend launched me into a mini research project about Qiviut and Muskox and an opportunity for a SCOBY from another friend has had me reading up on how to make Kombucha.

ENHANCE: community: Possibilities include supporting local growers and producers, help out at a local school/kindergarten, barter or foodswap, joining a playgroup or forming a walking or craft group. Car pooling where possible and biking/walking instead of driving. Even start up a blog if you haven't already - online communities count too! Or maybe just help out someone trying to cross the street! The rewards for your time are often returned tenfold.

I sent off my 3rd Pay-it-Forward Project... one more to go. :-)

ENJOY: Life! Embrace moments with friends and family. Marking the seasons, celebrations and new arrivals are all cause for enjoyment. Share a moment to be remembered from the month here.

Puppy Therapy... in early March.

More Puppy Therapy.... at the end of March. :-)

Even though we've been getting a fair amount of snow, and had our first two (!) wild fires already, I am loving all of the little signs of spring... red-winged black birds, Flickers that chatter like monkeys, shedding dogs, green-tinted fields, budding trees and lady bugs.

Happy Spring.

Fiber Arts Friday: More Qiviut Spinning

noreply@blogger.com (Kathryn Ray) — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 14:33:00 +0000

This last week or so of Qiviut spinning has been blissful.

I was sad to be at the end of my single, but thought it looked so pretty in a cake.

It's now plied.... 1/4 ounce and 25 yards.

I haven't bothered soaking it yet... it's so soft and just the right size for my palm. All I want to do is hold it and squish it.

Happy Fiber Arts Friday.

More Puppy Therapy

noreply@blogger.com (Kathryn Ray) — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 03:24:00 +0000

We went to visit our favorite puppies again today... they are now 6 weeks old.

This guy will be coming home with us in a few weeks. :-)

SCOBY

noreply@blogger.com (Kathryn Ray) — Sun, 24 Mar 2013 17:36:00 +0000

Symbiotic Colony of Bacteria and Yeast