work, fun and buying lambs

This weekend has been an odd mix of projects. First off I noticed that my patio cover was sagging on one side. when I went to check it out I noticed that the entire corner had really bad dry rot. So, on Saturday all other gardening projects and a trip to a local gun show were put on hold so we could take down the patio cover. This would have been a fairly easy and quick chore had it not been for the fact that the previous owners attached the frame to the facia board of the house. Any stress, or collapse of the cover could have damaged the house and the roof. Needless to say it was a slow very deliberate task. But, we finished in a few hours, with enopugh time to pick up several fence panels I had ordered for the new rows of peas and beans in the garden.

After a long day of work, I settled in with a warm cup of tea and some serene tunes to design my next quilt project. I'm an odd quilter. Or maybe it's just that I'm relitively new to quilting. Anyway, I love the stories an old quilt tells; the fabrics that may have been remnents of a favorite dress or a sack from a bag of flour. I love the idea of taking something that most people would consider trash and making it into something that can be useful and keep your family warm. Maybe it's part and parcel of this life I'm trying to lead; or maybe it's my innate sense of frugality. What ever it is, it draws me to look at things differently. I don't see an old worn out skirt, but a part of my life crying out to be made again.

My new quilt will be that kind of quilt. Made from an old skirt that I loved. The fabric has a pastural scene on it and the complimentary fabrics will be pulled from the colors in that fabric. I'm still fine tuning my design, but when I'm certain of how I want it to look I'll post a sketch.

Today was fun, but also stressful. This is the time of year that Brianne and I buy her new show lambs for the season. Usually we go to livestock auctions (a favorite past time) and buy, but this time one of the lambs we had looked at last week ended up on an on-line auction. We sat anxiously waiting (and bidding) until the auction ended. When everything was said and done we were successful and come next Saturday we will have a new addition to our little farm. And, hopefully we'll be just as successful at next weekends auction, adding a few other friends to keep him company.

I love this time of year, life renews, hope is in the air and anything seems possible.

The picture above is of our new little fellow.