Warning - this is a weekend recap. And believe it or not I left out details...
Friday night Gaelon and I decided that we needed to do a couple of things when it comes to our dog. First – she really needs to get up to date on her shots. No more waiting. She also needs to get into training, and I’m trying to see if I can get some training and boarding done simultaneously… or consecutively… I now need to find a new vet as I met with a trainer this morning and Daisy will be going to Doggy Daycare to help her blow some steam and be a reasonably well behaved family pet. (found, scheduled and we're on our way)
Saturday we went to Applebee’s for lunch, while people were participating in nurse in’s (Nurse in = Protest) across the country we had our own little Nurse Out (Nurse Out = Normalizing breastfeeding by nursing in public) from 12-2, as we had lunch and then Garret decided he wanted lunch.
In our neck of the woods there were no protests scheduled, and to be honest – we’ve never had problems at our local Applebee’s with nursing in public, but the staff has known us forever and CT has decent laws regarding protecting an infant’s right to get it’s food from the source.
A quick run into AC Moore to pick up some odds and ends, and then Walgreen’s to get some Alavert as allergies are kicking my arse (seriously – my skin feels like someone’s attacked me with a feather duster and IT WILL NOT STOP without meds,) and then back home. We ran out after dinner and went to check out Dogloo’s too as while Daisy is going to Dog Daycare when I go back to work we also want to have her to have a shelter when she is outside. Second trip out we stopped at Walgreens again as they currently have 10.00 dog beds and Daisy needs a new one. We came home to see this little fellow in the tree behind our house... Tessa was delighted and I think the Opossum was terrified.
I was browsing through EBay on Sat Night and found plans for a wool picker. Looks easy to make, and the cost wasn’t bad. Some of the wool I got in on Friday that finally arrived, and it’s not going to be easy to card out, so a picker is definitely needed before that stuff can be turned into lovely lovely pretty purple yarn. I think the wool was dyed before it was washed, and the tips seem to be darn near fused… the vegetable matter in this sucks too. It’s only about one pound out of 10+ but still… so the seller of the plans and I were emailing back and forth (lovely woman with a farm in NH) and we were talking about my stash of fiber that I need to wash and card… and did she have a carder for sale too or could she recommend me one?
She had one alright. So we made plans to go up to NH to pick it up on the next day (which was Sunday – I’m not sure when I’ll get to post this.) As were in the mid 80’s when we left with just oppressive humidity, I figured that a tank top and leggings for Tessa and a little jumper onesie for Garret would be fine. We regularly go for a long drive on Sunday, and the directions seemed to not be too much longer than we normally do. Urm. Well that’s what it appeared.
The closer we got to the Vermont border, the colder it got. Then the bright sunny day turned into downpour city. I kid you not, the rain just fell like a curtain that I could barely see to drive through for what felt like an eternity. From Northhampton Mass until the Vermont border itself – we were rained on and the temperature was now nearly 20 degrees cooler than at home.
We pulled into the Visitor center, to let Tessa run off some steam, and so I could nurse. There was a corner of the center that had big glass windows overlooking a meadow and a mountain behind it, with two large rocking chairs, anda big old fireplace. T
The fireplace wasn’t lit, but the chairs were nice to nurse in, and I rocked while nursing Garret, while Tessa played decorator with the pictures on the window sill. She brought one to me saying “Uncle Riss, Uncle Riss” and yes it was a soldier, a picture of one of Vermont’s boys claimed by this horrible mess we’ve gotten ourselves into in Iraq. I told her that it was a special picture and to put it back with the other special pictures as it would be lonely without it’s friends, and that we’d call Uncle Riss soon.
I’m pro support of our soldiers, they work their arses off, but I just wish that they had a better Commander in Chief who gave them and the country they serve the respect due.
Ok – my political babblings aside, it was a sweet but bitter experience, nursing my son in such a lovely location with the faces of dead sons lost in Iraq staring back at me. I held my baby boy even tighter when looking at those pics.
Moving on and driving through the country side we watched the clouds and steam rolling off the mountains, and marveled at the fact that the trees seem about 3 weeks ahead of schedule for turning. This inspired conversation about what we could do to make our home easier to handle in the winter cold this year, and what were we going to do about the sun porch which has only screen windows, not real windows.
Crossing into NH from Vermont was an experience. First – we had to cross under a set of railroad tracks and through this tiny underpass that really should only be traversed by one vehicle at a time. Other cars tried simultaneously going through, but I waited traffic out. Crossing the Connecticut river we then went from Rural to darn near Pastoral… and so beautiful.
Getting to the farm we pulled in and as Garret was asleep Gaelon stayed in the car with him. Tessa and I went into the house to get the carder, and also to see the horses, which were on the other side of the house (the house was a converted barn and I’m drooling over her stone sinks and the architecture of the house.) Elizabeth (the gal who sold me the picker plans and the drum carder) had a basket of hay and a whistle ready to call the horses for Tessa, who promptly fell in love with them… my god these were HUGE – and were a draft horse/Arabian mixes… black with a little white star each, they towered over my small girl who was drunk on love for the majestic beasts. The adoration seemed close to mutual, but it could have been love of the food set out in front of them too.
So that Drum Carder? It’s a MAMOTH of a carder, a triple carder made by Anderson. It’s beautiful, but HUGE. Did I mention it’s HUGE?
I also got 3# of unwashed Jacob wool fleece from her. Oh the fluff love… what I can spin and what I will be spinning this winter, it will be very, very nice, as the wool is very soft as is right now.
We headed home and played tourist, taking the pictures you see in this post. All so very lovely, and even Tess got in on the picture taking. I’m thinking for her upcoming third birthday we’re going to have to get her a camera… she’s got a lovely eye too.
Dinner was at Cracker Barrel, and Garret sat at the table with us in a high chair, and was not happy that we were eating and he was given toys to play with. He’s still on mommy milk exclusively thanks to his tempestuous tummy. Needless to say – he bitched a fair bit and tried to grab cutlery. Pics courtesy of Tess, Mommy and Daddy here at Cracker Barrel.
After dinner for the rest of us it was time to go back to boob for Garret, who would gladly just be strapped to my chest for 75% of the day. I sat on the porch of Cracker Barrel while they had their porch (sidewalk) sale in a rocker, and nursed him until he was full. One of the staff members looked at me nursing, rubbed his head and said “Soups on little guy, enjoy, as it never gets healthier” I thought that was a pretty cool thing coming off of the fact that the Nurse In’s had happened all over the place on the same weekend. So while he ate, I reflected on the true good fortune I’ve had – yes I’m losing my job at CLG, and I’ll miss it there terribly, but the time spent has been good to me. The last year at home with my babies? Priceless. Just priceless. When I go into a new working situation, I’ll know that my kids are in the best hands ever, and my future is secure.
So tomorrow I get Daisy in for her shots, get her basic training started and on Friday she goes in for her spay. She’ll come home to her new pillow which I’ll have in her crate with some blankets we’ve laid both kids in with the new pillow for family friendly smells, and as she becomes more family oriented, we’ll get her more integrated into our family like she should have been from the beginning. Never again will I bring a pet home when in all reality I KNOW I can’t give it what it needs at that point of time in my life.
In my defense – she was slated to go to my dad for training, but that didn’t work out as my dad’s off in the great beyond playing with Daisy the first and quayle hunting or something…
Ok – I’ll add pictures to this post later on, and if you got all the way through this – YAY You! It’s 3 pages before images in MS Word.
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I was asked over on OpenDiary for a sneak peak. So here's 13 skeins on my porch last night... There's a ton more on my drying rack and hanging in my bathroom, and in baskets... I'm no way going to have the stock for the show that Cinderella had for hers in Wyoming last weekend, but I think that I will have a decent amount when all is said and done. 
Even better news is that I have clearance to leave early, which I'll probably head out and work from home this afternoon to avoid the idiots on the road during rush hour. 
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Right now they are playing with a ball of yarn and are having fun, although I am fairly certain Delilah is going to need a nap again very very soon.
I've got some cool things to share 
Thursday night I took Tessa out and left the boys home. Garret got some much needed one on one time with Daddy and Tessa got a girls night, as did Daisy... while Daisy was getting a bath, Tessa and I went to Friendly's for ice cream. Yummy. She likes Cherrys... and kept asking the waitress for more, and then when we left she took my credit card to the register and said "I pay for my Ice cream and balloon now please." Cuteness - not just a natural defense for kids these days.
Saturday - I took Garret with me, and went to lunch with my friend Donna and another friend Dan, he's best man in her wedding, and while her sister is technically maid of honor, I'm basically it without the title... suits me fine. Lunch was awesome, poor Dan was a bit flustered that I nursed at the table, but whatcha gonna do - Garret needed to eat too and I've never been one to hide out in the bathroom or a corner to nurse... and since I'm not out for Mardi Gras beads ( my days of being a thin sexy young thing went by when I stopped being a young thing ;-) ) I really don't care to be all flashy. So he saw a whole lot of Baby sling and back of a platinum blonde head, but no boobage LOL.
So I spun up "Grandma's Lilacs" and need to skein it up. The yardage is unknown as of this moment, but as I need the bobbin space to start another colorway I have to get it off the bobbin and get the twist set. So how the heck was I supposed to do that in neat and organized manner?
