Yarn Thrifting

One thing I've been doing lately is visiting the thrift shops as a good source of yarn - not necessarily balls of yarn (although sometimes you do find those!) but for things I can unravel and re-use the yarn.  Today I went to the thrift shop for that reason, because I had to go to town anyway for groceries and sheep feed.  I picked up some really nice scarves for re-purposing the yarn.  Some of them are the "fun fur" type of yarn which works well in many of my crazy chicken hats and other novel knitted or crocheted items.  Some of them are colours I liked, and some of them are lovely chunky yarns.  Here are a few of the scarves and yarns I've thrifted lately.

Here's a lovely big ball of thick-and thin cream coloured yarn from a bulky scarf - I'll probably give this one a dye job and turn it into something more colourful!

These are 5 balls of yarn from a lovely 100% wool thick-and-thin scarf.  I adore these colours and I think I might re-use them in a shrug for myself, along with some solid red and grey.

This is the content of 7 scarves, unraveled.  The scarves cost me about $12.  The novelty "furry" yarns are usually $6-8 per skein, and I've got 5 skeins here.  The thick-and-thin wools are more than that if you buy them from the yarn store.  And the alpaca blend would be more yet again.  In all, a great haul!

Not everybody likes fun fur, but I love it for accents on scarves and hats, not to mention "wings" on my bird hats.  I loved the variegated blue, turquoise and mauve in these skeins.

This was a prize - an alpaca and wool blend.  Scrumptious!

Another batch of scarves that I purchased today, waiting to be unravelled!  There's more fun fur, some mohair, and some wool.  

 This is a lovely deep cranberry - I think it's an acrylic, but that's OK - it's easy wash and a super colour!

This scarf is actually woven, not knitted.  I'm sure it's 100% wool by feel...

...and it was woven by Branigan Weavers (so says the front of the label) in Drogheda, Ireland.  I thought that was a lovely bit of finery from across the pond!  And such a rich colour once again!  I might felt it for re-use, or I might just keep it as a scarf.

Of course, one can also find good sweaters for felting, which I remake into mittens for selling in my Etsy shop, or for unravelling for the yarns!  This one is for the yarn!  That's my colour!

This is a 100% cashmere vest from Garnet Hill - perfect for an extra layer of warmth on cold days like today!  Their cashmere sweaters retail for $150 to $200 Canadian, so I think this was a good deal for $3.50, don't you?!

Sometimes, there are other good finds besides the wool and yarn.  Today, for instance, I scored 100% silk pajamas with dragons on them, with the original paper label still attached - clearly never worn.  Really nicely made, with "frog" style buttons on the front and a Mandarin collar.  I couldn't resist for $4.00.

I mean, if you're going to lounge around in your PJ's, you ought to do it in style, right?  So what do you think - do they suit me?  They're certainly comfortable and I love the colour, so as far as I'm concerned, it was a day of deals!

A New Dawn

"It's a new dawn,

It's a new day

It's a new life...for me,

and I'm feeling good..."

I bet you know those lyrics.  Most people of my vintage do, and even those who are younger, thanks to the great cover version by Michael Bublé from 2005.  I thought those were appropriate words for this post, because it's the first post under my blog's new name.  If any of my former followers are still around, you may remember that when I moved from Iowa to Nova Scotia, my goat Lucky Nickel was excited about the move to "Can of Duck," which is goat-speak for Canada.  Goats have trouble with new words sometimes, and Nova Scotia was waaaay too difficult for those goatie lips to manage, so Can of Duck it was!

The fact is that nothing....and I really mean nothing....about that move, ended up the way I hoped or expected.  What seemed like a dream in the making turned into my biggest nightmare.  It has taken me a very long time to come to terms with the magnitude of the mistake I made in choosing to move here, and in choosing the relationship that I did, and in leaving behind everything I'd spent my life building to pursue those choices.  I've never made a mistake before on that scale, and I hope I never will again.  I've learned a lot, I've grown a lot, and I've begun to forgive myself, ever so slowly, for turning my life upside-down and taking my family and friends on a roller coaster journey of madness.  I made those dreadful decisions, but I've been making better ones lately, and I plan to keep on doing so.

So, I'm leaving "Whispering Acres" in the past.  If you wish to follow me, you might want to update any old links to reflect the new blog name.  I haven't got a name for my current farm yet, and I'm not sure when I will have one, so for now, I'm sticking with Dispatches from Can of Duck.  It's certainly not a blog name that's already in use, so I give myself a point for originality.

I'll be posting updates of my new dawn and new days, because things are finally beginning to turn a corner, and although I have a very long way to go, the future is not as bleak as it once seemed.  Coming along with me on this journey will be the Fab Five - Lucky Nickel, Fezzik and Caramel the goats, as well as Tucker and Twilight the sheep.  I'll be sharing the improvements I've been making on this falling-down farm.  I'll be talking about my new work, my new plans, and the new love of my life....oh yes!  He's a very handsome guy, with big strong muscles and beautiful eyes, and he keeps me warm at night.  In fact, I think the very first picture I'll share on this new blog is my guy, Jet.

I'm also apologizing, to long-term readers, for having been absent for so long.  It has really been a rough road, and I just didn't have the heart to talk about it - mostly because I had nothing at all positive to say or share.  So thanks for re-joining me, if you were here before, and welcome to any newcomers.  I hope the journey ahead is worth following.

Danger of...what?!

Yesterday, Richard kindly took me out to dinner and movie, after working on projects at the house for the day.  Back in Iowa, I used to enjoy frequent dinners out with friends, but here, there is really nowhere to go, and nobody to go with.  That makes me sad, but I'm trying to get used to it and to forget the way things used to be.

Last night was an exception - we went to a small city about 30 minutes drive away which has a nice pub.  It's not fabulous, but it's OK, all things considered.  Had a nice supper and then a few minutes to wait before the movie.  We went for a short stroll around the downtown area, which was nice because at the farm, I can't go outside for strolls because the bugs are insanely bad.  I literally have to run to and from my car to the front door to avoid bites.  In the city though, it was not a problem.  How nice to be able to be outside!

Anyway, I cracked up when I saw this sign...

Apart from the fact that it was a hot summer day, reducing the chances of falling ice considerably, you have to look closely to see why I was reduced to giggles upon reading it.  I don't generally condone graffiti, but this was in pencil, and was...well, just really funny.  Here's the close up, in case you can't read it!

So, watch out for falling mice next time you're out on a walk!

And so it goes

It's been a long time since my last post, and I do want to assure any readers I might still have left, that I have not been swallowed up by a freak sinkhole or swept away by a raging herd of water buffalo, or befallen any other accidents.  I have, on the other hand, been extraordinarily busy, at the same time as going through some time of introspection and thought, during which the blogging muse seems to have taken a hiatus.

Through the dark times of the past few months, I have been tremendously touched and honoured by the many friends who have sent support and love in various ways.  I cannot thank those people enough - and will return to this in later posts.  For now, I will just provide a brief update.

In short, I was able to get a job in early April, which has of course helped me be able to pay my bills and begin to feel less panic over my financial situation.  It's not a good job.  It's incredibly boring and does not use any of my skills or training, not to mention that it's about 1/5 of my former salary.  A high school student could do it with ease.  In that sense, it's frustrating and rather depressing, but it's at least a job.  The area where I live is very rural and jobs are hard to find, so there are few to no options for people with strong science and patent law background.

I also started a small entrepreneurial business venture in technical writing, editing, proofreading, and the like.  It's something that does actually use some of my skills, and I would rather be doing it full-time, but it is slow to build.  Also, any writing work I do has to be done on the weekends, or in the evenings, when I am not at my other job.  That means I can't take on too much, otherwise I won't be able to dedicate sufficient time and effort to it.  I hope that in the not too distant future, I will be able to focus exclusively on this business venture, or at least find something else that is more suitable for my skills and experience.

The combination of the day job and the writing has meant that I've had very little time for fibre arts, which is not ideal for me, since that is a source of stress relief and enjoyment for me.  I try to enjoy it in small doses when I can.

The animals are well, with the exception of a few chicken losses.  I still don't have a fence, and it's a major priority for me.  As you can see from the picture above, little Fezzik has come a long way over the winter and is really filling out and looking healthy.  I am so pleased about that.  I'm also starting to look at upgrading the heating system on the house so I don't have to sit around in multiple sweaters, scarves and mittens (indoors) next winter.  Fortunately I only had one incident of pipes freezing, but that was enough.

And finally, Richard has been coming round to help out with the farm from time to time.  Without getting into the details, we are considering whether it might be possible to repair the damages and put things back together, but this will take much time and thought.  For now, baby steps for me as I go forward.

The return of a hen, and her re-disappearance, and a funny egg

I really need to get rid of 4 roosters - they are big and bold and taking out their hormonal angst upon my hens.  In particular, they've been targeting my two Rhode Island Red hens.  I'm not sure why they do this, but the RIR hens are losing far more feathers than the other hens and the other day, I noticed that one of them had her flanks completely torn open on both sides.  I inspected her wounds and she had really huge openings - about 1 inch or wider - on both sides, but the blood was dried and the skin was peeled away and I wasn't sure what to do.  I decided to let her try to heal on her own.  A couple of days later, she disappeared.  Just clean disappeared.  I searched high and low, but no sign of her.  I decided she'd been taken by a hawk or another predator or something similar.

It's been about a week since she disappeared, and today when I did the afternoon feeding, I did a double take when I looked at the flock running over to the feed grains.  She was back!  I went out immediately and looked her over.  Her wounds have healed a little, but not that well, and I still have my doubts as to whether she'll make it, but she was eating heartily and holding her own.  I had no idea where she had been, but she was back.

Just before dark, I went out to close up the coop.  Was she there?  No.  She'd disappeared again.  I searched yet again, but no sign of her.  Clearly, she has taken to sleeping elsewhere.  I don't know where, and I don't know why I have only seen her with the feeding group that one time today.  She must have made herself a little hiding place where she can heal without the roosters constantly hassling her.  I really must get them processed soon - it's just not fair to the hens.

Anyway, when I closed the coop and picked up the eggs, there was this funny little hiccup egg.

I've never seen one quite this shape before.  It's my first hiccup egg from my Nova Scotia hens.  Couldn't resist sharing the pictures.  I think I've got 5 or 6 hens laying now - one has just started laying these small white eggs recently - this is the third one so far.

 Such a cute little egg!

I have more to blog about, and I will write soon, but still finding it hard to find my writing muse.  Time heals all wounds.

Unconditional Love

The wonderful thing about most animals, goats and sheep included, is that they're always happy to see you.  If you take proper care of your feathered and furry friends, they have so much love to give in return.

They don't care if you brushed your hair and put on make-up before you go out to see them.  They probably prefer that you don't!  They would love some treats, but if you don't bring any, they still love you.  They don't make demands of you or expect you to entertain them, although they will entertain you endlessly if you let them!

Yesterday, when I was feeling particularly low, I went outside to spend some time with the goats and sheep.  They cluster around me like bees to a hive, nudging with their heads, stepping on my feet, and trying to see what I might have in my pockets.  Once it's been established that there are no special treats to be had, then they just follow me and seek out my hands, nosing me for attention.  After my usual hugs and snuggles with Fezzik, I spent some good times with Lucky Nickel.

Even though she is a bully with the other goats at times, she is still my baby, and she never tries to butt me or bully me.  In fact, if anyone else comes near while she's got my attention, they're the ones who get shoved away!

I took the camera out to take pictures of my little friends, and ended up doing the "extend arm - aim camera - press button and hope" routine a few times.  I was fairly pleased with a few of the pictures that I took of myself "snuzzling" my Lucky Nickel.  She put me into a much better mood and told me that I was well loved, regardless of my lack of treats for her.  This is my favourite picture - just a kiss planted on her face, and a goat who loves back.  By the looks of it, my hair and her fleece will be matching colours in no time!

 Thanks, Lucky Nickel.  I'm so glad you came to Canada with me.

I'm still here

Just a short blog, to say that I have not dropped into an open manhole or a previously undiscovered well.  I am taking time to process the events that have led to my current situation, and have found myself essentially unable to write about it for the moment.  In the week following Richard's totally unexpected decision to abandon everything we had been intending, I noticed that Stickley had developed a limp in his front leg.  Within a few days, he was having a very difficult time putting any weight on that leg.  In the barn, I had also been dealing with Westley, one of my little angora goats, who had paralysis of both legs on his left side as a result of deer meningeal worm infection.  With Westley having been unable to stand up for nearly 6 weeks despite my attempts to get him moving, I decided it was time to let him go.  He was not having a good quality of life for a little goat, and it wasn't fair to keep hanging on to hope.  I took both Westley and Stickley to the vet.  Unfortunately, I learned that Stickley had developed osteosarcoma, a form of bone cancer that is relatively common in greyhounds of advanced age.  He would have been 11 this month.

Westley and Stickley were humanely euthanized on the same day, just 10 days after Richard's bombshell.  It was one of those "just when I thought things couldn't get any worse..." moments.

So, still dealing with a lot of loss in my life, and a lot of uncertainty.  I'm not sure where all this is leading, and I dislike instability.  I leave you with some pictures of Stickley and Westley.  It has taken me some time to be able to write about their passing, and even now I have hot tears coursing my cheeks as I write this.  Too much loss in too short a time, and no light at the end of the tunnel yet.

Stickley, retired racing greyhound, track name "RJ's Elk River"

Run free my big dog, you are not forgotten.

Westley, the wee angora goat, not even a year old.  Loved while he was here.