A New Arrival at Villa de Micaela

On Sunday evening at about 6:30 PM, when I fed the horses, I had a hard time getting Ranger to come eat his grain. He kept wanting to go down the hill toward the fence between the horses and the sheep. I didn't want Beau to eat his grain and Ranger's, too, so I waited until Ranger finally came into the run-in shed before I dumped his grain on his hay.

Then, I went down the hill to feed the sheep and the llamas. Corina was making sounds more like grunting than baas. Once I got in and fed the sheep, I saw Corina was ready to lamb. I ran back up the hill and told Rueben to grab the camera, that Corina was lambing. He quickly got off the phone with his mom and came down the hill with the camera.

When Rueben got down the hill, I had him watch Corina (she'd gone into the sheep-shed by this time) while I fed the llamas. When I came back to the sheep shed, I found that he had placed a plywood board against the opening, keeping Corina inside and the other sheep outside. Then, we watched while Corina lay in the corner. It didn't look like anything was happening, but after a few minutes, Corina got up, and there was a little lamb in the corner, wrapped in a placenta. We had a new arrival to Villa de Micaela.

I got lots of video of Corina cleaning up the lamb. I finally pulled the last off of the lamb so it could try to stand up without being tangled up in the placenta. Finally, it was able to stand and I was able to tell it was a ram lamb. I got several pictures and video clips of him trying to stand.

Yesterday, we moved Corina and the lamb up the hill to the pen inside of the shop that we had ready for them. When I bent to pick up the little lamb, after I had Corina on the lead, he just stood still. He didn't even squirm when I picked him up. Rueben carried him up the hill while I led Corina. Before we placed the little lamb in the pen, Rueben weighed him on a baby scale we have for weighing feed. He was about 12 pounds. We'll weigh him again in a day or two. He's growing so fast.

Rueben picked him up again this morning. He's nothing like Joy was last year. He doesn't really run and hide behind his mama like Joy did. He just stands pretty still and looks up until Rueben picks him up. This evening, he was a little more skittish when I bent to pet him, but he never really tried to get away.

We called Micaela last night to tell her about the new lamb and to ask her opinion on what we should name him. First, she asked what color he is. I told her he is white. She said we should call him Whitey. I asked her to think more of a people name. She suggested Eli, Jayden, and Whitherspoon; all names of people she knows. Then she started talking about one of her teachers named Ms. Lambert. I told Rueben and we thought and thought about the name. Rueben said Lambert was one of his favorite cartoons when he was little. I remembered it, too and also really loved it. You can find the cartoon (about 8 minutes) on Youtube if you search on Lambert the Sheepish Lion. We decided to name him Lambert.

Michelle's Jacket, April's Placemats, Experiments

In the last month, I've completed two projects, started another, and have been experimenting with a fourth.




First, I completed Michelle's jacket for her birthday. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture of it after I put the clasp on it. Anyway, I really enjoyed creating the jacket. I think I may also have inadvertantly created a monster along the way. Once Michelle received the jacket, she made one for herself without any pattern or instructions and has now borrowed my cd on creating other jackets out of sweatshirts.

I also finished April Vargas' mini placemats for her tea set for her birthday at the end of March. I personalized the placemats with her name, as well. The picture shows the front on the top and the back below. For my first design, my first project using the paper-piecing method, and my first attempt at actual quilting, I think they came out pretty good, if I do say so myself. I really enjoyed making these and I just started making a set for Micaela's birthday, too. Hers will be with the same fabrics (in a different order), except for the back with a lavendar binding. I will post pictures of Micaela's placemats once I complete them.

I've also been experimenting. I got Mom's felting machine from Michelle and I've been playing around with it. At first, it worked really well and I was getting addicted. It was really fun. Scraps of felt and wool couldn't satisfy me for long. Then, I started breaking needles. It got a bit frustrating when the needles started bending and breaking. Then, I discovered that forgetting to lower the cloth foot (presser foot) was the problem. Once I discovered the problem and remembered to lower the cloth foot, I stopped breaking the needles. Next, I cut out a pattern of a sheep from brown felt and appliqued it to some olive green felt. Then, I started experimenting with felting wool from Bella that had been washed, but not carded, to the applique. I was using wool locks. I started breaking needles again. After lots of frustration and seven broken needles in one sitting (a pricey endevor since needles are about $4 each), I realized that the needles were probably too long. They hang lower than the cloth foot when it is in the down position. As I was moving the fabric and wool around, the wool would catch on the needles and bend them. Then, as the needles lowered, they broke.

Anyway, the Bella that I tried to make looks okay when looking at the picture. Actually, better than I thought the night I was working on her. She still needs some defining embroidery such as the eyes, nose, and mouth. I'll need to felt some 3-D ears as well. Maybe next, I will try a baby Corina with Bella. I'll have to try some more, using Mom's suggestions. She suggested I use some wash away stabilizer over the wool as I am felting it. That way, the wool shouldn't catch on the needles and break them. Then, I can wet the stabilizer and dissolve it. I'll try again and see if I can get the machine to work without breaking so many needles.

Mary's Jacket

Well, I finished Mary's jacket. I made it for her birthday (at the end of March) but I can safely post a picture here since she doesn't have access to the internet. I found the instructions in one of the books Mom lent to me. I started with a red sweatshirt and took the collar, cuffs, and hem ribbing off. I cut it up the center front, then used a plate to copy the curve for the upper and lower portions of the front of the jacket. I then sewed bias tape around all the edges. Mom also found the fusible bias tape for me to sew onto the front and back of the sweatshirt.

Last night, on the way home from work, I stopped at JoAnn's and picked up the fabric for the placemats I'm going to make for April and Micaela for their birthdays. They will be able to use them with their tea sets. The picture shows the fabrics. Nice, pretty, bright colors. I created the pattern I'll use from one of the books that Mom lent me on paper piecing. Moms sure are great! Once I get them sewed together, I will post more pictures.

Sweatshirt Jacket

This post is for Mom and Michelle who asked me for pictures when I finished the jacket I was making from a sweatshirt. Well, it is complete now except for the clasps to close the front. I'm waiting for them to come in the mail. It took a little while (I began it on the Tuesday after Christmas while I was on leave from work and finished it yesterday). I had a few challenges, too. During the construction of the patches, and while putting the panels on the sweatshirt, I found I had used too small of a seam on some of the strips. Especially on those strips with a loose weave. Some of the seams I had to re-do while putting it together and one, I had to hand-sew when I found it after the panels were already on the jacket. I will have to be very careful when I wash it and be sure to put it in the washer on the gentle cycle.

Spin in Public Day

Yesterday was World Wide Spin in Public Day. Rueben took me to Allyn (a very small town South West of Port Orchard) where they were having a Spin in Public Day in the Gazebo at the waterfront park. The weather was kind of cool, especially when the wind blew, so I wore the shawl Michelle made for me from her sheep (handspun yarn and hand woven) over my t-shirt, kept closed with the shawl pin I bought in Colorado Springs.

I thought it would be cool to take my Great Wheel to spin on. I made that decision for a few reasons. That was the wheel I'd been working on lately to spin the yarn I received in a yarn swap and I want to use that yarn to make a hat for Rueben. Also, I thought there probably wouldn't be another Great Wheel there. I was right, there was not another Great Wheel. Also, it didn't seem like anyone there had even seen a Great Wheel in person. I was told more than once that it was good to see the Great Wheel and even more so, that it was good to see that someone was actually spinning on one.

This is me and my friend Renate with the Great Wheel.

At one point, someone asked me if it was true what they'd heard; that the wheel was in my family for a hundred years and that I had just learned to spin on it. I told them, no, actually, this was my greatest ebay find.

It wasn't until this morning that I realized that it was my friend Renate they were talking about. She was using the wheel she got from her husband's uncle. It was last used by her husband's grandmother or great-grandmother and was in her family for at least 100 years. At one point, she blamed me for her new hobby obsession. I told her, all I did was tell her it could work.

This is Renate and her 100 year old wheel (to the right of center).

I was also interviewed by a reporter from North Mason Life. I haven't seen any article or picture, yet, but maybe tomorrow!

Micaela visits Villa de Micaela

Micaela got here on Tuesday for her summer visit at Villa de Micaela. Villa de Micaela means Micaela's country house.

Since she got here, Micaela has been helping feed the animals. After her second day, she can already feed the llamas and the dogs all by herself. She's a natural. And when the llamas tried to mug her for the food, she seemed to know exactly how to keep them out of it until she was ready to put it down. That is...except when I wanted to get a picture of her feeding them. Then she did that perfectly, too.

Last night while she waited outside the sheep pen for me, she picked daisies. Then she posed for lots of pictures with her bouquet.

Today, she went on several errands with Grandpa. One took them to a hardware store where they saw a pink mini-bike. When I got home, I wasn't sure if she or Grandpa was more excited to have seen a pink mini-bike. The guy at the hardware store loved her t-shirt - a black shirt with a pink skull and cross bones and a pink princess crown.

They also went to Horseshoe lake park. It wasn't quite warm enough to swim (Grandpa didn't want her in the water without me there, anyway). They had a wonderful time. Micaela got to show Grandpa what a monkey bar champ she is. When they got home, it was time to mow the lawn. Grandpa moved the seat all the way back and had to use his tippy toes to run the lawn mower just so Micaela could stand up in front of him and help him mow.

Joy comes to Villa de Micaela

Last Wednesday evening, I went down the hill to feed the sheep. Bella didn't come to eat. She stayed in the small sheep shed, just lying there. She was quiet and not moving anything more than her head. She tried to stand, but couldn't seem to get her legs under her. She just didn't seem strong enough.

I brought her some hay and she began eating, so I knew she wasn't too bad off. Later on, Rueben helped me get her on the sled and drag her up the hill to the shop where we made her a bed in the kennel. We thought she might be in labor, but she was so quiet. She looked great except that she couldn't get up by herself and couldn't stand.

On Friday, Rueben called the vet since Bella still had not gotten up. She was eating and drinking and was also peeing and pooping just fine, but she couldn't get up. The vet came and told Rueben that Bella was definitely not in labor, but she couldn't tell us if Bella was pregnant or not. She took blood and a fecal sample and told Rueben she would get back to him on Saturday.

Rueben had to run some errands and when he got back, he heard a ruckus down the hill with the other sheep. Corina was making all kinds of noise like she was really hurt. Rueben rushed down the hill and realized at once that Corina was in labor. He got the camera and took lots of pictures and videos. At one point, Corina was lying on the ground, not moving, not making a sound. Rueben went a little closer and saw that the lamb was half born. It was breach. The back legs were out, but the shoulders, head, and front legs were still inside. He had to help. He pulled the lamb out and cleared its face of the placenta and it took a breath! Then, he backed off and began filming again.

After I got home from work (yes, I missed it ALL!), we brought Corina and the lamb up the hill also to the kennel in the shop. It got down to freezing (or lower) Friday night and we didn't want the new baby to freeze. Though Corina is a new mother, she has turned out to be a great mother. She seems to know all the right things to do. It's amazing how God made mothers know just what to do!

We tossed around several names for the new lamb including Sunshine, Spring, and Blossom. We decided on Joy since she has brought Joy to Villa de Micaella!

On Saturday, the vet called about Bella. She is very weak, has a low white blood count and bands in the white blood cells. She has some kind of infection going on so the vet gave us some antibiotics to give her for seven days. Hopefully, this will make her well.