I Had To Stand In Line...

....at the Mennonite bakery! I still can't get over it. What is wrong with people? Can't they do their own baking? Can't they stay at home? Or at least have the decency to get out and about later in the morning? Not only did I have to stand in line, but it was outside, snaking down the driveway, for Pete's sake. And I had to stand there for at least 15 minutes. I felt like I was at a Mart store.

Being traumatized from coming upon a thriving store line in the middle of no-where, I just stood in line and zoned out. Conversation swirled around me, and seemed to mostly revolve around allergies and other sicknesses the individuals were experiencing.

Really, all I wanted were two of their glazed donuts.

Once in the store, strict (made-up-by-those-in-line) policy was to turn to the left, and make a half circle around the room. The room which is only about 10 x 10 foot. Only about eight people could fit in comfortably. The honor code forbade jumping out of line and snatching that last package of cookies, or bread. It sure did smell good in there and was surprisingly cool. One lady cut in line before we even got in. However, she apologized profusely and explained she wasn't buying anything, and she sweared (swore?) she wouldn't mess up the line dynamics, but just wanted to see what it was like since her friends were in there. I get the idea she wasn't a local, and perhaps feared we would lynch her? I mean we might be hillbillies, but not Deliverance material even on our worst days. (Maybe this is where I should have said "sure go right ahead" and then started humming Dueling Banjos?)

While standing in line our entertainment was watching from across three fields, the distant figures of Mennonite girls 'picking something up'. Speculation was high--maybe picking up storm debris someone suggested. Hmm...or maybe they were weeding a garden? Again I got the distinct impression these folks were not locals.

So anyway, I may have boughten more than two donuts. Maybe a gooseberry pie (for my folks), maybe a loaf of bread, maybe a couple packages of cookies and stuff. Maybe.

Once I got away from there, my next stop was the veggie stand just down the road. I figured I'd really have to fight my way into that mess. Funnily enough there was only two other cars and they were leaving when I got there. Well, what does that say about us? Don't answer that, I think we all know what the response to that is. At the veggie stand I bought some tomatoes, squash, onions, lettuce and another loaf of wheat bread.

Gosh, it was getting hot. Onward to the little city, to pick up a few things. First though, I wanted to swing by the bulk food store over on the highway. Much to my deep, deep regret, the little bulk food store, once located near the bakery and veggie stands in the heart of the Mennonite settlement, has closed down. There is another bulk food store, ran by Mennonite's but it's closer to town, and these are 'transplanted' more modern Mennonite's from out of the area. It's a nice store, but very modern (without overhead gas lamps and a dark shadowy interior), and it's just not very thrilling to shop there. I did stock up on a few things...and...I bought me a chair! I'll feature my new chair later. I've been saving awhile for it.

In town I headed out to the vet's before they closed at noon, to pick up some Prevacoix for Ariel. It was a mad house there too. I had to wait for awhile, but I didn't mind. It's always entertaining to wait in a vet's office. The most amusing thing was when 'Rambo's' turn came up. Both vet's assistants came into the waiting room (one of which is seven days away from having her baby), and told Rambo he needed to be 'muzzled' up. They quickly fastened a blue muzzle over his snout and marched him off to exam room before he even knew what hit him. Oh, and Rambo was all of a twenty pound rat terrier! Sounds like he has a big reputation though. There was also a 'girl Boone' there, on the verge of whelping pups, it looked like. Gosh, she was ugly. (sorry Boone) She was much shorter than Boone, kinda squatty and her head didn't have much definition or expression. She was also a very pale tan color. She's probably everything a Dogue de Bordeaux should be, but Boone wins in my book any day! Of course I'm not biased or anything.

After that quick stop, it was off to the local 'mart store. Madhouse doesn't even cover it. What about this recession? What about people cutting back on their spending? Not having any money? Staying home 'cause gas is so high? Good grief. Doesn't anyone stay home anymore?

As you can probably tell, shopping and being around other shoppers is the highlight of my day. Not. At least I didn't run over anybody with my cart. Although I came this close, let me tell you. It's like, hello, do you have to squat there in the aisle with your butt covering both lanes and stare at that T-Shirt for twenty minutes? Do you? I only barely brushed against her with the cart, I swear. She never even flinched. Obviously she was a more advanced shopper than I.

Oh, I almost forgot, I also went by the Library book store and dumped off a nice big sack of books, and only came home with four books and magazine. I think that might be some kind of record for me. I definitely need a pat on the back for that.

Back on the home front it's 84 degrees, 'feels like' 91 and the humidity is at a whopping 70 percent. I wimped out. The air conditioner is on, and I've got the back curtained off. The temp has dropped to about 80 here in the back and with the fans and air conditioning on it's very comfortable. I brought the dogs in and they are very happy to be stretched out on the cool floor. The sheep and chickens aren't so lucky, and are laying low in any shady spot they can find.

At some point I'll have to pry myself out of my little ice house, but not until this evening.

Have a great week.

Books...Books...Everywhere Books.....

Well, since I mentioned that my book shelves were clean, I did decide to 'take a picture' so you can see the true scope of my addiction. This is my main 'book nook' but I have other smaller stashes of books throughout the house (several...lots...of stashes).

The nook consists of an 'L' shape area, made up of several free standing book shelves (one of which is an old entertainment center), as well as some shelves I put up on the wall above the bookshelves.

Outside of the 'nook'. (Almost ran out of room on this big shelf, but then discovered the top wasn't being used for anything important like more books....)

Inside the 'nook' (Same shelf, other side)

Back wall of the 'nook'. (Yes, that second shelf if sagging....)

What I really need is more shelves. Lots more shelves. I feel pretty comfortable posting these pictures right now, because Michelle is busy with lambing, and so is her backup plan, Allena, so the threat of an intervention is pretty small. (Thumbs nose...in a loving shepherdly way, of course).

(Pat, do those shelves along the back wall look familar? :-) Vicki your books are located on the 'inside nook' photo, second shelf from the bottom. I left a little extra room there, so Ms. Birdie's book'll fit! Maybe by the time a new Elizabeth book comes out, I'll have more book shelves! Maybe need a bigger house too......

No Shearing Today

Not that that bothers me. Not that I'm bitter. Nope, not me. Not sulking either.

So it's March 28th, Spring is sprung and all that. Grass is green, flowers and trees are a blooming... and it's snowing. Or will be, before this day is over. Right now, I think it might be trying, I can't tell. It's sideways precipitation with a whitish cast, so draw your on conclusions.

It has poured on and off since about 3 a.m. this morning. Yes, I noticed the time, because it would be even worse if it didn't rain, since I canceled the shearing. Talk about bitterness. Wow, that would have not even been the least bit pretty. There are inches of water standing around, and the paddock is a muddy mess. So I'm justified, and everyone can suffer for it. At least the sheepies can crowd in the barn, when the rain gets too heavy. Before the day is done, snow is suppose to move in and well, the eventual accumulation seems to be up in the air...so to speak. The temps are in the upper 30s, and once again, I have a roaring fire in the stove, and my feet are cold.

I keep telling myself we need the rain and all that nitrogen will be free fertilizer if we get snow. See I have one, maybe two positive thoughts here.

I've been preparing for shearing for weeks now. So much to do. My house is pretty darn clean---and I even cleaned off the book shelves and sorted through and culled some. I listed sixteen books on PaperbackSwap this morning. (Although my motives are not entirely pure in this. Sure I needed to clean the bookshelves and sort and get rid of, but I'm also totally out of credits! What if a book on my wish list comes up and I have no credits? Hyperventilating here...) Anyway. The bookshelves are clean, and I better take pictures now. The house is cleanish. I had food bought for shearing day, I had people lined up to come and help. I had panels set up in the garage ready to pen sheep up. Shearing is a Big Deal, and I really get stressed about it, in case you can't tell. But this happens on occasion. I think this may be the second or third year I've gotten rained out. I have no large barns to keep sheep up for several days ahead of time. And they must be dry to shear. Neither do I have anywhere for the shearer to work inside. We set up in front of the garage, which is a nice flat area and near enough to the house to plug in the equipment. So in the end, the weather decides whether we shear or not. (Can I add the word wether in there too??) Like it or lump it, thems the breaks.

In other sheepie news... well there isn't any. River was due Friday and is just standing around chewing her cud and taunting me. I think she is waiting for it to start snowing before she lambs. Duckie may or may not be due next week. The little lovely flock of solid moorit lambs continue to grow. Eve and Conway (sorry little guy) are now out on pasture with the others during the day. However Rosemary is stall bound until her wee ones grow just a bit more, or the weather clears up, whichever comes first. So far the two bigger lambs haven't 'found' each other yet, but I expect they will soon. In case you lost count the it is 2 Ewes--2 Rams.

Thanks to Michelle at Boulderneigh, I had a dream last night that there were twin moorit gulmoget lambs born here. (If you don't know what a gulmoget is, check out her blog---what a cute bunch of lambs!) A ram and an ewe, no less. Within the dream at one point, I questioned how I could genetically have moorit gulmoget lambs, but blithely ignored the impossible answer, instead showing them off to a large group of admirers, one of which was the shearer. No, I'm fine really. In this dream I also had a very large two story barn. A fine, fine barn. Except the ewe and lambs were on the second floor, lambed in a very narrow isle, with one side a sheer drop off. Analyze that if you want.

I've rescheduled shearing, but it will now be on a weekday, if I can get off. The shearer is booked Saturdays through April and into May. If the sheeps dry out, I'm going to try and hand shear Duckie Monday evening. I would like to know what is going on under all that wool. If that goes well, I may also shear Tabitha, Blackberry and Rouen as they are all on the suspects list after the (two) ram breakouts last fall.

And that's about it. I'm being lazy today, catching up the blog, listing books, paying bills. Oh, and making frequent trips slogging out to the barn to see if River is done chewing her cud and lambing..for crying out loud. Ahem..

I Need An Intervention...Uhm..In Just A Minute....

I really don't know how this happened. I don't remember too good--it's all a blur. The thing is, I've found some awesome deals on used books the last month or two. Maybe if I stayed out of used books stores and stuff, but still....This is my To Be Read pile. The only thing is, it must be my Auxiliary TBR pile, because I have a whole shelf for the Regular TBR books. This started out as a small overflow, stacked on top of my radio/record player. Suddenly one day it looked like this! I went to our local Library used book store, which I've mentioned before, and got quite a few books on CD--for like .50 cents each! Then there was the Publishers Outlet visit--where I was looking for Christmas presents, yeah, thats it, Christmas presents.

I don't even know if I'll like half these books, but you just never know where you'll find your next favorite author! So, you gotta keep looking, right?

I really do need more shelves.......

I Don't Have a Book Problem....

Really I don't think I do. What is another 10-15 books? I can quit anytime I want.

So but anyway, there is this used bookstore that is owned in conjunction with the county library. It's actually a little old house that they've put shelves in. Here they sell any donated books or library culls to the general public. We are talking dirt cheap here. Fifty cents for a hard back. FIFTY CENTS! Paperbacks are practically free. I mean I paid five bucks and I got all these really neat books. They didn't even all hardly fit in a sack! There might have been more too, except I ran out of time. Because that is the catch--this marvelous place is open only on Saturday and only for two hours. You would think there would be lines and lines of people and you would have to fight your way inside. But no, it rarely has more than one or two people in there at a time. What is wrong with folks? I mean they flock to the local Mart store like pigs to the trough, but then when it comes to a real gem of a place like a practically free bookstore.... I just don't get it. However, all I can say is its their loss. Yep, more for me!

Did I also mention it has books on tape and videos? And lots of neat children's books, and mysteries and .......

Nope, I don't think I have a problem at all. I do need more bookshelves though. I'm thinking maybe like all the way around the top of the wall--one long continuous bookshelf. Put that wasted space to a good use. Anyone handy with a hammer?

I wasn't going to tell you, but I went to another thrift store or two today with my sister and niece, and well, I bought some more books... only like 7 or so... but since I had witnesses.....