Bzzzzzzz...

 

Hear that buzzing sound? My husband and I heard it all day yesterday and finally figured it out when we sat down on the porch for a beer before dinner.

Bees. There's one in the photo up there.

Big bumblebees, feasting on the nectar of black-locust blossoms.

Our yard is full of these trees, which it turns out are actually a nuisance species. But the short-lived blossoms make the whole yard smell delightful and attract orioles and, apparently, hordes of big, bumbling, buzzing, bumblebees. (Then 200 million petals drift down from the trees and settle several inches thick on your porch furniture. Day after day.)

Other things make a buzzing sound, too.

 

I had a few interruptions that didn't allow me to get the hummingbird photos until the good light had faded, but I did get this one perching for a moment on our clothesline:

We're all about the birds. This week, we have some sad bird news. First of all, Daisy is no longer with us. My light Brahma hen, she would have turned five years old this month. It's a little graphic to go into on the blog, but let's just say the three tom turkeys are murderers. Deviants, too.

On another sad note, we are down to just two turkey poults!

Trixie has finally started roosting in the turkey house again, instead of sleeping in the middle of the field. But poult #3 apparently fell off the roost and into the goats' sleeping quarters and got rolled on during the night.

Meanwhile, gray turkey Rose has disappeared, likely on a nest but possibly fox food. And the peahen is gone, too. We knew she was nesting in the woods, but she hasn't been home for her every-other-day afternoon snack in a few days. She might have hatched her babies and is busy helping them find food closer to the nest. Or she may have been eaten. I'll keep you posted.

We've been super busy in the garden. So far there's not much to show for our efforts, except the peas. I think pea vines are lovely.

  

These two are holding hands:

Cliche tractor photo:

The piglets are growing fast. I couldn't get good photos because of two electric fences between me and them but you get the idea.

Polly:

Chip, with something to say:

      

Now, this is supposed to be a knitting blog. Confession: I am still struggling with my handspun April socks, which are taking FOREVER. No pictures. Besides, I have plenty of other yarn and fiber stealing my attention, although nothing new on the wheel or the needles. I WILL finish those damn socks before our annual camping trip at the end of the month.

I forgot to mention in my last post a gift I received from Rainbow Yarns Northwest: Two bumps of incredibly decadent and luxurious spinning fiber. The first is called First Love and is a blend of 75 percent Pygora and 25 percent silk.

The second is an undyed blend of 75 percent Pygora and 25 percent superfine Merino:

Pictures don't do this fiber justice. I have no idea what I will do with these, other than bury my face in them now and then. But when I find the right project, these will be fabulous.

Meanwhile, at A Piece of Vermont Yarn & Fiber, I have nothing  really new, but things will be coming soon. I just sent a small wholesale yarn order off to Kaleidoscope Yarns here in Vermont. And on Wednesday, my partner in crime Jenn and I made a return road trip to Green Mountain Spinnery to pick up my newest Real Vermonter yarn order. Ta-da!

  

I am in LOVE with this yarn! The folks at the Spinnery outdid themselves, as did the Vermont sheep and alpacas who contributed their fiber. It's a 2-ply sport weight and I have 37 pounds of it. As soon as I finalize the name, the price, and all that jazz, it will be available for sale. I have just dyed up the first few skeins and while they do look fantastic, I'm pretty partial to the undyed color, which has a touch of fawn-colored alpaca that gives it a golden tinge. It smells like real sheep, and while that may not appeal to everyone, to me it underscores the fact that this is 100 percent Vermont yarn. I've met the animals that produced the fiber and the people who spun it. And it's "Greenspun," the Spinnery's term for their special milling process that uses petroleum-free spinning oils. Heaven, I tell you. 

I know it's bad PR for my commercial yarns and fibers when I gush so about Vermont fiber and small-mill fibers and yarns with provenance and all that. But I can't help myself. This yarn is so yarn-y and unique and sheepy and textural and anything but mass-produced, I just have to sing it out. I'll have some ready for you (dyed and undyed) by next week. I wish you could smell this stuff. I've been huffing it all morning. I hope that's legal.

And, to wrap up this very long post, two more quick things.

1. Thank you for all your yarn name suggestions. I am still working on final names and I'll let you know when all is said and done. I am still taking entries, if you have more.

2. I'm about to expand beyond yarn and fiber. I have recently purchased a batch of hand-printed wood-block notecards by a local artist, which will be on sale next week. Here's a sneak preview of one of her 8 designs:

Love them.

Comments

[margene]

You certainly bring the good, bad and ugly of farm life to us city chicks.
I'm drooling over the fiber...d r o o o o o l i n g.

[Carole]

So sorry about all the poultry mishaps. Beer before dinner with buzzing bees sounds beautiful. (Do I get an A for alliteration?)

[Jenn]

What do the trees smell like? We have flowering trees around here that smell like grapes and I'm trying to figure out what they are.

[AnnaMarie]

Love the new yarn.

Your place is going to be known as that Funeral Feather Flock soon. Maybe you need some Guineas, they could guard the pea hen (hopefully she's okay).

[marianne]

I'm sorry to hear the sad news, especially about Daisy. I don't know if I ever commented about this, but I always enjoyed seeing her in your photos since I've always had a soft spot for Light Brahmas. I used to have a Light Brahma chicken friend named Sam, and she was so sweet. she would come running if I tossed something in the air, and then she'd sit on my foot or my knee and I'd feed her grass (which I picked on the spot--okay so I spoiled her). she seemed to enjoy being petted and would take a short nap on my foot or knee. one time when I was feeling glum and hid in the chicken house, she came in and reached her head up to my shoulder and gave me a nuzzle. she was a very special chicken.

[Carrie]

Poor birdies. At least they led a happy life prior to their demise. Stupid turkeys.

[trek]

Deviant, murdering turkeys?! I thought this was a family blog ;o)

Sorry about the poultry!

[Kristen]

The more I've been reading up on poultry, the more I learn about their surprisingly violent nature. Probably moreso in the abnormally bred types.
I love when the maple trees in the backyard are in flower and smell so incredibly sweet, with hordes of happy bees buzzing away at dusk.

[donna lee]

The bees in the yard make me nervous. I am allergic to beestings (epi-pen allergic). I've been stung 3 times, all three times minding my own business. The first thing I do when I get new wool/ roving is to smell it. I love when it still smells sheepy. It makes me feel more connected somehow.

[(formerly) no-blog-rachel]

That undyed Real Vermont is gorgeous! Yay GM Spinnery. And holy cow - 37 POUNDS? That's got to take up some space.

[Carol]

awww~So sorry to hear about Daisy and the little ones. Bad turkey! Bad! I do hope you're having fun with your new fiber! Looks fabulous! bzz bzz

[Teyani]

so sorry about the attrition rate of the hens. sigh. farm life.
Love the little photo of the hummer on the clothesline!
And what a small world - I know Terry and Susan of Rainbow Yarns Northwest - great people! And I have some of their fiber in my stash as well :-)

[Susan]

You will love spinning the Pygora! Pygora is my new favorite fiber. I just spun some for a lacy scarf last week.

[jackie]

I'm sorry to hear about your bird loss. I hope that the peahen is just nest sitting.
And the new yarn looks lovely.

[Robin]

Oh My! So much carnage and danger on the farm! I reckon that's all part of farm life. The stranded mitten is really pretty. Love the sock, too. That's too funny about the pond!