When worlds collide

(Get ready for a very long, photo-filled post featuring animals, food, a shop update, and a lot of words you can just skim over.)

The newcomers on the left are Sophie (another Sophie!) and J.J., the two most recent acquisitions at the Raymonds' Home for Surplus Farm Animals. Snowy and Lucy were somewhat concerned. This photo shows it better:

The sheep arrived on Sunday and the re-establishing of the livestock social hierarchy began. Trooper comes out on top, as always:

What the sheep have in greater girth, they lack in assertiveness. But things are settling down to mutual wariness, which is fine for now.

As for breeds, Sophie is Border Leicester and J.J. is still a mystery, although I'm leaning toward Hampshire, based not only on his coloring but also on the dense, spongy quality of his fiber (more on that in a moment):

My husband tried to win the sheep over:

But they're still skittish. The goats, however, never miss an opportunity for a little scritch on the head:

Or a kiss on the nose:

All the animals were out in force on Sunday, seeing as it was a beautiful fall day:

Roy and Lars:

Ed and Trixie hanging with the big boys:

Larry fast-walking:

The girls, led by BigFatDaisy, enjoying a cantaloupe (from my garden! forgotten in the vegetable crisper!):

Overall, the weekend was fanstastic. The weather was great. We had relatives from out of town for the day on Saturday, and Sunday I actually did some weeding (two heaping wheelbarrows full) for the first time since June, I think. The garden is yielding some goodies in addition to many tomatoes. Butternut squash and peppers:

Most exciting of all, Friday afternoon I picked apples from our very own neglected apple trees way out back. We have three varieties (four trees). One kind, probably Rhode Island greenings, are still on the tree and in great shape. Hardly any blemishes even though the tree has never been sprayed or pruned or anything. Very tart and firm. The other two had kind of gone by, so I only got one apple on one tree and the ones I got off the other tree were small and looked terrible and scabby on the outside. Fortunately, they were sweet and juicy on the inside. I just wished we'd had more.

My daughter and I brought these in the house:

If you look closely at the two in the lower right corner, you will see they are suffering from a condition known as "goat bites." The goats went with me to pick apples and turned up their noses at the hundreds of apples already on the ground, preferring the ones I had just plucked off the tree. Dumb old goats.

Then we did this:

And the next morning I made this:

I would love to say it was the tastiest pie I ever made, but it wasn't. The fact that I made it not from store-bought apples, not even from pick-your-own apples, but from pick-OUR-own apples turned it into the best pie ever, even if it was a bit on the tart side. Next year I'll get out there earlier and get more of the sweeter apples. Still, it didn't last long:

Now, about fiber stuff.

I finally started spinning Opus 2007. I failed to get pictures of my singles, but the story is that I wanted a two-color tweedy yarn. I plied brown to white (J.J.'s very own fiber!) and got this:

This is very cool, and yet I think I would get a headache if I had to look at my husband wearing something like this in sweater form. Too busy. So I tried a little overdyeing:

This turned out too dark, but better than the above. It's overspun, too. But it's the right bulky weight for the heavy sweater I have in mind and I'm continuing with the spinning. When I'm done, I'm going to overdye it in some shade of blue/gray but not so dark that I lose all the contrast. I'm very excited about this project. And bulky yarn spins up fast!

Last, I have updated A Piece of Vermont with both sock yarn and superwash merino top. Here are Frosted Berry and Balsam (some of which sold already):

And the spinning fiber:

I just received an order of Ashland Bay Panda Superwash, so after a bit more wool/nylon sock yarn, you'll be seeing some wool/bamboo/nylon, as requested.

Of course, no post would be complete without a Milo shot. Here's Sophie expressing concern with the new dynamic:

Note her stunning resemblance to the pile of carded wool in the foreground:

Much better:

   

It's amazing how jazzed I get once the temperatures start to get downright autumnal. I hear it's going to get hot again for awhile, but it doesn't matter. I'm in Fall Mode. My favorite mode, actually.

Roy and Larry like it, too.

(Those little pumpkins? They're from the farm stand down the road. After reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, I decided canned, long-distance, anonymous pumpkin was just not an option for this year's pies. Next year, I'll grow my own.)

Comments

[Elisabeth]

Oh my sainted aunt, would you look at all of those animals! You could have your own petting zoo. The goats are my favorites, though. I don't know, they are just so darn cute!

Tart apple pies are the best. Especially with cinnamon ice cream--yum!

I liked the Opus yarn as it was. It might not have been quite so crazy when you knitted it. I imagine it looking a lot like rag wool socks. Though, it definitely was not the tweedy yarn you were going for.

[kelly]

Awesome. You're all awesome. BigFatDaisy, hee-hee (I have some of her breed).

I'm so excited to see how it works out for you with the sheep! I'm sure the goats will get used to the idea, once they figure out the sheep aren't power-hungry (or are they?). And the sheep I met the other day gave me a kiss, so I'm sure your husband will win their affections! :)

[Jen]

What a lovely life you have!

[Rosa]

great pics. Such a wonderful photo-essay. I love the new rovings.

[Paul]

"Ed and Trixie hanging with the big Boys" cracked me up! What great pics, and I have to agree with Jenn, you do have a lovely life.

[Kristen]

You are truly living the good life. The blissful look on the dog's face is priceless. Pie never lasts long around here either.

[Marcia Cooke]

That is SOME menagerie you've got there! As for the tweedy yarn, try knitting a swatch before you overdye...it might surprise you what happens. Great pictures!

[lindy]

Yay, Sophie rescued her Dad from the clutches of that evil kitty, Milo.
I love the animal photos, hubby looks contented being surrounded by the ever expanding menagerie.
The yarn is also yummy!

[Frank]

I'm hungry and I want a sweater.

:)

Fall's my favourite time of year too. In theory, I'd love to live on a small farm with lots of critters and a huge garden. In practice, I'm a lazy SOB who'd let the place to go ruin while out fishing.

Lovely pics of what seems to be a near-idyllic life.

[LizzieK8]

I want your life.....

[Ruth]

Umm, Jess? Pumpkin pies are made from squash, not those cute little things on the porch. There are squashes with necks that are sweet and the punkin pies around here are all made from those. :) Ask me how I know. (Blush)

[Alotta.knittin]

What did I do for sheer delight before I found your blog??? I adore your posts. Your animals, each and every one of them. Your husband, Milo, everyone!!! And then there's the fiber...sigh....

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

[marianne]

fall is my favorite time of year too.
looks like Milo is getting big!
the sheepses look so sweet.
seeing your Light Brahma brings back fond memories. my family used to have 2 Light Brahma hens, Louella and Sam. Louella was big and tall and bossy and Sam was smaller and cuter and the greatest chicken ever. one of the cute things she'd do was sit on my knee (or even my feet) and take a nap while I petted her.
your home is like a piece of heaven. thank you for sharing with us!

[DK]

When will you start making and selling goats milk soap?

You are one busy lady with all of the critters, gardening, orchard and fiber business. Do you ever sleep?

[janna]

Look at Milo -- such a good boy! ;-) And I love Ed and Trixie hanging out with the big boys!

I think I need to make an apple pie this weekend.....

[Leah]

Thanks for sharing. I do envy your life, though I know taking care of all those animals isn't all a walk in the park. I also wanted to recommend a book you might like along the lines of Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. It is by Nina Planck and is called Real Food. It has been an eye-opening read for me. The gist of it is steer clear of industrial foods and eat "real" food. Anyway, thought you might like it. Enjoy fall - it is my favorite too.

[Heide]

I just love hearing your stories. The "pecking re-ordering" is hilarious to watch and read about. Apparently Trooper took e Orwell's "Animal Farm's", "Some animals are more equal than others" quote to heart. Milo is looking more like a cat and less like a kitten with each new batch of pictures. Your vegetables, apples and freshly dyed yarn are all lovely.

[Little Miss Curious]

Well, your family, furry and a-little-furry, are all looking awfully healthy in the beautiful fall light. I, too, was inspired, by my reading of Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, this summer. Those apples look beautifully imperfect and yummy. I am going to try to go apple picking this week. Mostly, I can't wait to take out the peeler/corer/slicer thing that you have a photo of. Now, that invention is sheer genius! It is one of my prized possessions.

[kate]

As always your yarn and top look yummy, although perhaps not as yummy as that pie. The animals look wonderful. I'm so jealous. I need sheep!
I like your opus yarn. I have an opus in mind, but it's warmer down here so it'll have to be lighter weight. I'm thinking to card the light and dark fiber together, but not really to blend it well. I've made a few skeins, and it combines them in a regular, not so stark way. And then to ply them together, I think will make the yarn "tweedy". like your rag wool.
Can't wait to the panda yarn:)

[Stephanie]

What a gorgeous bunch you have. The yarn is, as always, gorgeous and I can't wait to see what you have in store for the bulky handspun.

[Dorothy]

Holy animals, Batman! If Girly ever went to your place, I don't think I would ever get her to leave.

[Jane]

I enjoyed your post so much! It is always fun to see your animals, and I love how you picked apples from your own trees. And of course, all the yarn and fiber is just beautiful!

[Sylvia]

Why not prune the old apple trees? Just a bit here and there can extend their lifespans considerably and increase the yield. Some pruning is important, like removing branches that cross or rub or come out facing down, because it eliminates areas where the bark gets broken and disease can invade.

One of my really old apple trees in Montana has small nasty apples that make the worst applesauce known to man, but a slowly baked pie from them is delicious. A lot of the older varieties need a certain kind of heat to find their perfect culinary moment.

As for pie pumpkins, um the commenter who said pie is made from squash is only half right. It is also made from pumpkin, especially those little pie pumpkins you bought. Do you know if they came from a patch that was primarily pie pumpkins or did they have other squash nearby?

I used to save a handful of seeds from each pumpkin (roast the extras) and plant them early in the spring on the remnants of the previous year's compost pile, most of which I'd already shoveled and spread on the rest of the garden. I'd let them grow in a tangle and there'd be strange spaghetti squash-pumpkin mutants and other delights, some requiring a hacksaw to open, but also really splendid pie pumpkins. Yum!

Have you grown any of the Japanese winter squash yet? Some of those make good pie.

How does the color of your balsam yarn differ from that puddle one? I can't see well enough to tell the difference but might get it if you describe them? Please?

[Ruth]

That's it....I am moving to Vermont! You make it look so great. I love Fall too...sweaters and leaving the windows open and hearing the crickets...and BAKING!

[Amanda]

Fall is my favorite time of year, too--and getting to see it through Vermont eyes makes it even better! :) Ahhhh...I've got to get up there again. We were there this time last year and it was marvelous.

[donna lee]

I have made pies out of home grown pumpkins. We didn't like the texture as much as the processed pumpkin but that could just be because we were used to the other. The pies were tasty and delicious and I was proud as all get out of them. Ed and Trixie are getting big fast!

[CindyCindy]

Frist of all, sheep? Envyenvyenvy. But, goats are so smart (for dumb farm animals). Is it true that when you have many, you don't worry so much about the individual? Or is that a crock, too? And, is the Kingsolver book that good? I'm afraid if I read it, I'll be unhappy in the burbs. The Opus yarn was pretty before, but then I like the look of great confusion.

[Bea]

Those butternut squash look SO good, they are my new favorite winter vegetable. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, your house and farm look like the coolest place ever. Those sheep are so cute! And the goats! Have you ever read Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver? All this animal and homegrown food talk reminds me of that book. I just bought some pumpkins to try and make homemade pumpkin pie, if I get to it this weekend, I'll let youo know how it turns out.

[Lisa]

I'm looking at your apple pie drooling. Thanks now I want to learn how to whip up an apple pie.