And so it goes

Thanks for all the condolences on the loss of our little poodle Sophie. Now you can do the same for my old cat, who we finally had put down two weeks ago at the ripe old age of 18.  We had a visiting vet come to the house and it went very smoothly, if a little tearful on my part. I got this cat as a kitten from the humane society in 1991, the year after I graduated from college and the year before I met my husband.

He was slowing down just as Milo came into our lives so much of the past two years has looked like this:

Though I haven't seen the movie, I suspect his attitude resembled that of Clint Eastwood in Gran Torino.

The cat is buried between the apples trees just a few feet from Sophie. But that's not all. Now that I am over that whole ordeal, we have a very sickly yellow Lab who probably isn't going to make it through the week. We're going to try one more visit to the vet and then we give up. Sigh.

Anyway, the whole birth/death thing is alive and well here on the farm. We've lost a few baby turkeys here and there, including Rocky's mother to a coyote. Rocky and his siblings survived the attack, but since then two have disappeared (possibly even Rocky; we can't tell them apart anymore). The last two are still sad and lonely without their mother and occasionally manage to sneak under the wing of an older turkey. Mostly they wander about forlornly, peeping.

In brighter news, we had our first calf born. The mother is half Holstein, half Hereford. The baby is a quarter of each of those and half Angus. Here are some random photos immediately following the birth but before the calf had tried standing up.

We thought it was pretty exciting, but in Vermont no one takes much notice of calves being born. If we'd been in Miami or Chicago maybe it would have made more of an impression on people...

A big personal milestone today was that I finished spinning the yarn for my sweater.

The color is more accurately this, I'd say:

For my own future reference, I spun a total of 1255 yards weighing a whopping 51.5 ounces, or 391 yards per pound. I presume I will not need that much for the world's plainest sweater, but it's nice to know I have enough just in case.

As for the sweater, it's going to be big, comfy, warm and pretty much nondescript. I have discovered over the past 20 years that Vermont is freaking cold in the winter, my office in particular. I need warm and classic, not trendy.

I love my February Lady Sweater but I wasn't able to wear it a single time between December and April because I need sleeves that cover my wrists or I freeze. (I just checked and in our area of Vermont, the average high in January is 28F. The average low is 8F.)

I cannot get enough spinning these days, possibly because the combined stresses of money and dying pets makes me want to go to my happy place, and it's usually at the wheel. I just dyed up an interesting combination of local black alpaca and our sheep Sophie's Border Leicester fleece.

I love the way the BL takes dye but I have to say it: This wool is not soft. I guess it can vary from sheep to sheep and Sophie's beautiful, lustrous, long-staple wool is in no way next-to-skin soft. I'm planning on using it for a winter wrap or stole or something, not next to my bare skin, and I'm spinning it as soft and loose as possible to make the ends less prickly. It's a fun fiber to spin, I will say that.

In this case, I space dyed 8 2-ounce batts all pretty much the same and I'm spinning them just like that. Unlike my sweater yarn above, I'm not looking for a heathered solid; I want multicolor blends and stripes throughout. As soon as the sweater yarn dries, however, I'm casting on for my sweater, so the spinning may take a backseat for a while.

I actually did manage a small shop update at A Piece of Vermont Yarn and Fiber yesterday, although I don't believe there's much left.

What you see above is some bamboo/merino/nylon sock yarn and some Falkland Superwash (DK weight).  Not to harp on it again, but you join the no-pressure A Piece of Vermont mailing list quite easily (and unsub whenever you want) to get immediate notification of updates. The Falkland Superwash is really quite lovely, but it's a pain to put into skeins as it comes in giant hanks rather than cones. I do have more I plan to dye this week, though, if time permits.

And for spinners, I have some hand-blended dyed batts (for that heathered look) coming in a few days.

I have so many different things going on sometimes I forget to make time to go out in the shop. But I really enjoy playing with color and fiber. I hope I can be a little more consistent in  my updates.

Cross your fingers for the dog. At this point, unless they discover something missed in earlier exams, we're not doing him any favors by letting him go on the way he is. And if we do put him down, we'll only have Milo left.

And that's a scary thought.

 

Comments

[jillian]

I'm so sad for all your losses, even knowing that on a farm it's not uncommon.

[Renee]

So sorry to hear about so many pet and farm stock deaths. My father in law has cattle and I may well be the only one who gets excited about new calves still. lol

Happy spinning!

[Mary]

Well, I'm excited for your new baby calf! and so sorry to hear about the departing animals :^( I hope you get enough time in the happy place to feel better, even if it's not quite enough to spin everything you want to spin. Speaking of which, the colours you dyed in the fleece, even if it's not soft!

[cindycindy]

It's just so hard to lose your animals. Not the farm animals (although, I'd cry like a baby), but the ones that have shared your house and your lives. Here's a hug from Middle Earth.

[Bullwinkle]

awww ... I'm so sorry. Its hard to lose the fuzzy ones. My thoughts are with you.

(And I'd be excited over a baby calf too!)

[(formerly) no-blog-rachel]

I still get teary when I think of our last 2 dogs who have gone. In theory I completely get the circle of life and all that but I have a hard time dealing with the reality of it. It seems to be hitting you guys all at once - I'm so sorry.

Hugs

[Julie]

I'm so sorry to hear about the loss of your furry ones. I know that the longer you have them, the harder it is when they leave you. I wish there was something I could say that would bring you comfort at this time.

I have a 15 year old cat and he is really starting to show his age. And just the thought of losing him brings tears to my eyes so I can kind of understand your pain.

Sending you pleasant thoughts.

[ccr in MA]

Again, so sorry for your loss, and how awful to be facing another so soon. You know when it's time, but that doesn't make it any easier. I feel for you. Best wishes.

[Manise]

Oh Jessie! I'm so sorry. It has been a rough summer for you guys regarding losses. Keeping my fingers crossed for your dear Lab. I have 2 black ones at home.

I have a turkey that has taken up residence in my wetland at night and eats my lawn bugs and grass gone to seed on the edge of the lawn by day. It's a hen and she's very sweet. She dust bathes in one of my unoccupied raised beds. She roams the neighborhood. I hope she doesn't get eaten by the coyotes in the area.

[Manise]

PS. Glad I jumped on the yarn and fiber when I did-lol!

[emmy]

I am so sorry for all your losses. Your new baby calf is precious- love that face!

Your comfy sweater will be gorgeous with that lovely yarn you created. I bet you will wear it hopefully and happily forever.

[Pom Pom]

I hate the thought of you being so cold. Brrrrrrrr.

[diane]

Aw...sorry to hear of your recent losses. We have 16 yo sis and bro cats(and a 14 yo) and they starting to really lokk their age.
Beautiful sweater yarn there, looking forward to the knit finished!

[donna lee]

The batts you dyed are beautiful even if they're not that soft. I can't imagine a life without pets but everytime I lose one, I swear I won't get another one but I always do. It's like losing a piece of my heart each time.

[Heather]

So sorry to hear about the losses of your pets, and the poor health of your other dog. it is so hard to lose them, and so horrible when it all comes at once. ((Hugs.))

[janna]

I'm so sorry about your pets - especially the old cat. Charlotte was 18 when she died, and even though I knew she had had a good life, it was hard. And having just adopted a 16 year old cat, I'm already dreading it again....

[Andrea (noricum)]

*hugs* and love and much sympathy.

[AnnaMarie]

Gosh Jessie, it's been a rough year for you guys. Hopefully things will improve soon and you definitely can't be just a Milo family, he'll think he's King or something.

I agree about warmth and function over trendy sweaters. I'm finding that garter stitch shawls are more than adequate, no fancy lace here just cushy wool.

[Judy]

What a terrible time you are having. My thoughts go out to you.Take each day as you do your knitting, a stitch at a time.

Beautiful yarn.
I've worn my FLS quite a lot. I roll my sleeves up as a rule so this isn't much different.

[heide]

Well crap. I'm so sorry to hear about your old kitty, the turkeys and that your older dog is now sick too. Milo definitely needs a new friend to play with while your daughter is in school or else you won't have any curtains, etc. left in your house. The handspun yarn is exquisite.

[trek]

Sorry about the pets.

I think a calving is exciting. Yeah, I read all of James Herriot's books :o)

[Kim]

That circle of life thing can be so darn hard when you are visiting the death part of it..........but there is such joy in the new life that comes around again and reminds us why we raise these animals that we love.

Many healing thoughts are headed your way from New Hampshire

[Jessie]

I'm so sorry about Sophie and Sneezer. I hope the lab is ok. Circle of life, eh? Not for sissies. And, as Linda Ellerbie says, so it goes. ;)
Take good care,
Jessie

[Kristen]

I'm sorry about your cat. It's tough to lose so many old friends.
Will Milo be getting a new little kitty to help keep him in his place?

[lisa]

Yeah, rough times at your place in the pet dept... Is there cross breed advantage in cows like there often is in dogs (without getting into the whole breed/mutt argument)... boy calf for meat? I think Milo will need a very special little friend. But what? Who? Maybe some goldfish?

[gayle]

It's so hard saying goodbye to old friends. Sending you hugs and good thoughts.
I think Milo needs a puppy. Serves him right...

[JessaLu]

I am so very sorry about Sophie and now the kitty. :o( What with all the crazy going on around here, I totally missed your post. I hope things are better... *hugs*

[jessie]

Thanks, Jess.

It's hard to keep up with the program here anyway. We put our Lab down last
week, too, so it just goes on. (He had lost 36 pounds in a few months and
the prognosis was not favorable.) He is out of his misery and we're down to
one pet: Milo. Sigh.

I must get back to reading blogs. I've had to bail on some things to keep my
head above water lately, but I miss the blogs!

Jessie

On Sun, Sep 6, 2009 at 3:35 PM, wrote:

[Teyani]

a cyber ((hug)) goes out to you for all your recent losses. It seems more than a normal dose of crossings recently.
take time to grieve each one - for each of your animals is special to you..... and know that we care right along beside you.