Bartering!

So who needs money? So far I've traded two containers of jam and one of honey for a freezer from friends, a jar of honey for organic dog treats from the guy who changes our oil, and a container of honey for a jar of yummy jam from Michelle at http://pdxknitterati.com. 

Rhinebeck

 

What a beautiful warm day!  Almost too warm for a sweater. 

Silver

25 years ago today I married my very best friend. 

Hey Honey!

I keep bees, as if spinning and knitting wasn't weird enough. September for us is always time to harvest the honey. Or as we say steal it from the bees. Mr. Truck gets the full frames out of the hives and brushes off the bees then I dash in the house with them. There were 12 mostly full frames. Then we cut off the caps if wax with the hot knife and spin it out in the centrifuge. The wax is strained out and we end up with about 60 pounds of honey. It's a sticky mess but the bees clean up most of it. 

Wishing

Poor Phantom can only dream of going outside. 

Spring has sprung!

Finally!

It's beach time

At the beach Dunkin walks himself while Dougal goes swimming, at least as far as Mr. Truck will let him, and I search for sea glass.

What I Learned After Almost 13 Days Without Power

Get a generator and learn how to hook up your furnace to it.
Boiling pots of water on your stove does heat up your house.
Fill up you car and your gas cans. Have lots of gas cans.
Get a smart phone.
Get a car charger for your smart phone.
Sign up for twitter & Facebook. Follow your town, power company, local radio station. Social media is faster and more accurate than anything I heard on the radio.
Have a battery radio and batteries.
Flashlights are lifesavers in the bathroom.
Help your neighbors.
Call your power company every day. Sometimes they think you have power when you don't. (I'm talking about you PSE&G)
Texting works even when the phone doesn't.
Fill your freezer with anything you can fill up with water: Tupperware
and containers from the recycling bin work great and keep the door shut.
You can vacuum, watch DVD's and charge your nook with a generator.
Have lots of candles and not all scented. Vanilla, pumpkin,cranberry, apple, cookie dough all at the same time is bad.
And you can knit in the dark.

Days 4- 8

We're in Delaware for a bit of a vacation but I'm still spinning. It's a beautiful merino from a vendor I found at the NJ Sheep & Fiber Festival last year. She didn't have her cards with her so I took a picture of her sign. Sadly, this sheep is no longer with us but if all her fiber is like this I'll definitely be looking for her again.

Tour de Fleece Day 1 & 2