In my kitchen

Each time I'm on here, I promise I will post my blog my frequently.  However, life just keeps getting in the way and I don't make it back for months.  This time, I just have to share a quick and easy recipe I created as a last minute "what am I going to fix for supper" stab.  Earlier in the day I purchased Pillsbury pie crusts for a Broccoli and Ham quiche along with  whipping cream and had these items on hand.  I had a hankering for Chicken Pot Pie and with the help of Pillsbury pie crusts and the whipping cream I surprised even myself with this concoction .  Are you reading this Mom? It was actually really good!  NOTE: In my mind it has to be Pillsbury pie crusts because the other pre-boxed pie crusts are not as flaky.

I took a boneless chicken breast from the freezer (I thaw them in the fridge overnight) and when it was partially thawed, I cut it into cubes about 5/8 inch square then tossed the squares into a hot skillet with a little bit of olive oil.  I lightly covered the bottom of the skillet with the olive oil.  Once the chicken starts cooking, I stirred the chicken to turn it and added 1 1/2 teaspoons of garlic salt (from Sam's club), coarse cut pepper and sea salt.  I also added 1 1/2 Tablespoons of dried minced onion as we like onion, but I didn't want the onion to over power the dish.

Once the chicken is cooked through, I added 1/2 a bag (2 pound bag) of frozen mixed vegetables to the mixture and stirred them in so the could be cooked until no longer frosty.  While this was sizzling, I took 1 1/2 cups whipping cream and started whipping it with a wire whisk.  Once it started getting thick, I added a large serving tablespoon of Campbell's cream of chicken soup.  I then whipped it in.  When it was thick again, I added another spoonful and continued this method until the entire can of cream of chicken soup was added.  I also whipped in 1 1/2 Tablespoons of sifted flour to this mixture.  Let mixture sit while tending the skillet.

Now back to the skillet.  While it is sizzling, there will be a small amount of liquid in the skillet.  Sprinkle over the top of all this about 1 Tablespoon of flour and stir until is blended in well.  Turn off the stove and pour into a waiting deep dish pie pan with the crust in it.  Once the skillet is into the pan, pour the cream mixture (this will be thick like icing) over the top of the veggies and chicken and spread evenly.  Add the second crust over the top and crimp around the edges.  Cut slots in the top for steam to escape.

Place in a preheated oven of 350 degrees Farenheit for 45 minutes. Might put a cookie sheet on the shelf below the chicken so that any run over does fall in the bottom of the oven. Turn the oven up to 375 degrees Farenheit and continue baking for 5-10 more minutes.  This browns the crust nicely.  Take out of the oven and let set for 5 minutes before serving.  My friend is a light eater, but took 3 helpings because it was so good.  I would post a picture, but between the two of us, there isn't anything to post.  It was eaten before I thought to post it here.  Be prepared to hear how good it is.  My friend who never compliments anyone stated, "This is really good.  I want more." That's why there isn't any left over!

Prius Adventure

Wow! What a day! Farmers' Market was really entertaining today.  A woman sat and played a harp so beautifully that it was like being in heaven.  Then after Market, I discovered my car wouldn't start.  Let me tell those of you who are Prius owners, it is no picnic when the Prius will not start especially on a Saturday afternoon.  Once I discovered that the car wouldn't start I made a few quick calls to the dealership wit no results because everyone had left 10-15 minutes earlier. So I was on my own.

It had to be the battery as I was pretty sure that when I turned the car off it had half a tank of gas.  The dealer told me that the battery is in the back of the car down where the tire tools are.  However, when there is no electricity to this car the back tail gate won't raise.  But there is an emergency switch for the back hatch down very low along the edge.  To get to all this stuff I had to unload all my Farmers' Market stuff from the car, climb in and start pulling up the carpet and the lid to the tire followed by the cover for the battery.  Then we had to figure out where the emergency switch for the back lid was.

While it seemed like hours standing in the 90 degree sun for over an hour while we were doing all this, we finally got the battery charged and the car is running as good as ever now.  Word to the wise:  don't let anyone sit in the car and check things out if they are not a Prius owner.  The car was accidentally turned on and sat there for about 3 hours going nowhere working on electric.  Not good. I, too, am a smarter person from this experience.  I have learned that if a hybrid car breaks down on Saturday after 12 noon, I might as well find a ride home and wait until Monday as there is no one available to work on the car.  Good luck Prius owners as your car's mileage creeps up over 100,000 and the warranty expires.  No one is willing to do the extra mile for a car that they feel has outlived its life.

UPDATE:  My Prius has developed a personality.  We can no longer sit in the driver's seat once the ignition is turned off.  To do so results in the car not starting.  I now carry jumper cables with me and it is standard practice to ask for a jump if I have sat in the car for more than 15 minutes.  What a bummer!

I am so excited!!! I have a Bluefaced Leicester ram lamb awaiting my arrival in Nebraska to bring him home to Indiana.  Will the weather please cool down so that I can make this trip?  I think he will bring a nice influx of beautiful fibers to my Border/Bluefaced Leicester girls.  His lambs will be more than 65% BFL.  This will be awesome!

Wow! I helped make history! Please read on.



Anyway, I  contributed to this by doing records for the 1940 census to enable those looking for generations passed can find them.  Roots...it's what it's all about.

Here it is Monday again.  I haven't done a very good job of keeping up with my blog.  I must do better.  Lambing was very slow this year.  It began in February and is still going on.  The non-winter really fooled the sheep as far as cycling goes, but the billy goat and his crew seemed to be right on target.  I got 3 beautiful kids! A little red billy and a set of twins with a billy and a doe. 

For those of you with goats, we all know how daring those kids can be.  If you have a short livestock tank with a flat edge on the top (Rubbermaid's is round on the top), remove that from the pen as my little white billy must have copied the little red billy and walked on the edge.  Unlike the little red billy, the little white billy either fell in or was knocked in and drowned.  I was heart broken!

Since then, I have gotten them large spools to climb on and jump off of.  They have to have something to climb or they climb on unsafe things.  However, their favorite climbing spot is the wheel-wells on the horse trailer.  ;-)

Farmer's Market will soon be in its third week.  The heat is keeping people from coming as it rises in waves from the pavement of the Cummins Corporate office parking lot.  Please don't let this summer sizzle us like it did last summer!

Got to get a cord for my camera so that I can upload pictures.  I'd like to know who the Gremlin was that took my camera cord!

Wow! NAILE was really something this year! I truly believe that we were busier and had more people passing through the halls of the Louisville, Kentucky Expo center than the past couple of years.  I got to sit and spin with Martha Richard, Helen Schwartz, Diane Lewis, and Pam Hoover.  The nice thing about getting to spin with other people is that I can see various techniques used by everyone.  Helen and Martha had the most beautiful fibers while Pam and I spun fleeces from our own livestock.

NAILE was just the kick in the pants I needed to begin doing some natural dyeing on my own.  Shortly before NAILE I had used some walnut, I'm talking the black walnuts themselves, not the hulls to dye with.  I got a dark tan and even dyed some curls to go with the yarn.  But this time I dyed with Brazilwood and got a beautiful fuschia color. [this picture doesn't do the fiber justice!]  I only dyed 4 ounces as I've weighed my fibers so that I can consistently get a 4 ounce skein.  I can't wait to dye another 4 ounce bundle of Brazilwood.  Then I will try Mimosa, walnut with the entire nut, madder, and some more.  This is so exciting to be creating beautiful colors from nature!  The only thing holding me back is my glass top stove.  I don't want to weight it down too much with big pots and ruin my cooking surface.  I can't wait to dye more! Lots of fiber holds the promise of colorful winter days!

Whew!  It has been a long hot summer and I am glad that the weather has become cooler.  It is much easier to add a sweater or a jacket than it is to sit and sweat it out in the hot sun on Saturdays at Farmers' Market.  Just two more Saturdays at Fair Oaks Mall from 9a.m. to 12:30 p.m.  Then we have Hackman's Market, The Street Fair in downtown Columbus, and St. Mary's Christmas Bazaar in North Vernon.  That will wrap it up for the season.

I have been playing a lot with my Corgi, Michaela, and have found her to be relentless when she wants to play.  Don't believe me?  Then take a look at the video.  The video was taken after she had already hassled me 5 other times and we played.  She doesn't get tired as easily as I do.  She is still a puppy.  I have many more years of fun ahead!

I still have Cormo/Shetland/Finn cross sheep and natural colored Shetland/Finn sheep for sale.  I don't have the money to feed them this winter and I hope I can get them sold.  My prices are more than reasonable and these animals produce wonderful fleeces that I am going to miss.  I have about 10 natural colored that have to die for fleeces.

Well, tomorrow is Farmers' Market so I need to move on for the evening.  I hope you enjoy the video.  Feedback is always great.

Summer's End Can't Be To Far Off

It has been a long hot summer. So hot in fact, that I am not going to be able to afford all the hay I need to feed the animals that remain on the farm. Hay prices are exorbitant and if I can just feed my alpacas, my Angora goats (what sweeties!), and a handful of sheep, I will be blessed.

My home improvement project is on hold at this time, of course, half way through the project. My carpenter had to have some surgery and is now in recovery mode while boxes remain on my lawn under tarps until he can finish the room they belong in. Why is it nothing is ever easy?

I am working on a new hat design. I have had to start over twice now as it wasn't shaping up the way I wanted it to. I am using up yarns I have collected over the years with the hope that something strikes someones fancy at Farmer's Market. Sales have been miserable this year. Last year the sales helped my sheep eat well all winter long. This year, I am forced to cut back because of the lack of sales to feed my sheep. I believe this is an indicator of the economy because everyone at the market is noticing a decrease in sales compared to last year.

I hope I can find someone who will help me care for my animals in inclimate weather. I don't want to risk falling and breaking something. I would never hear the end of it from my parents and my daughter. They believe I have no business living on a farm alone. What do you think? I am under 5 foot tall and pushing 60. Can I do this or not?

Saying Goodbye

As with everything in life, there comes a time when one must say goodbye to Life as it has been. This week has been like that for me. I've had fiber animals since 2003 and Margaret and Snowflake, my Saanen goats, for almost 5 years. As of Monday, all 26 of my chickens are gone. Then as of Wednesday, my Saanen billy and both Margaret and Snowflake are gone.

Now I need to be selling off my sheep. I can't handle the farm by myself any longer and it is time to move on to another life. My Cormo x Shetland/Finn sheep have beautiful soft crimpy fleeces and are a spinner's dream. I have intact males, a few wethers, and lots of ewes for sale. All are reasonably priced at $125 each. Many of my ewes are twinners and a few bless me with triplets each year.

I will miss this life, but divorce forces me to downsize. I love my animals. They are my children. My prayer is that they find kind homes that make them family as well.

Hoosier Hills FiberArts Website Updated

Finally, I have completed my portion of the Hoosier Hills FiberArts Festival website. I've never done anything on a website (excluding ebay) and getting text to stay put wasn't easy. I guess I need to to become more technically inclined and create a website to sell my sheep, roving, alpacas and anything else on the farm that needs a new home.

I should dig out my little notebook of passwords and go to ebay and post my Patrick Green Deb Deluxe carder. I need the money and there isn't a better time than now to sell it. I'm trying to think of other things that I might be able to sell, but nothing comes to mind. I know that there is, I just need to be organized in getting things ready to post.

Well, since my carder needs listed, away I go to ebay.

Border Leicester X

I have hesitated long enough. I have a beautiful 4 year old Border/Bluefaced Leicester ram that handles well on a halter. I can no longer use beautiful Galahad because I want to keep 2 of his beautiful daughters. Their fleeces are so luxurious and fine that I prefer to keep them and look for a new ram. I am up to 5 ewes now, all BL/BFL X. If you are reading this and have a friend with sheep, I would really like to trade with another small breeder like I am. Galahad throws beautiful lambs, but I cannot breed him to his daughters. Pictures are forthcoming. Galahad is white and very broad across the back. As a yearling he had beautiful pencil curls. His fleece is still just as gorgeous now as then. With all the rain we are getting on a daily basis, it is also snowy white.

Do not hesitate to respond to this if you know someone who might trade me. It would be a travesty for Galahad to become freezer fodder.

The Great North American Afghan

I am now on block 13 of The Great North American Afghan. However, I skipped block #12 since the needles in my hands at the end of block 11 were the same size needed for block 13, I bypassed #12 until a later time. A precursor to each block is thoroughly reading the instructions and typing them up to fit my knitting style. I usually type up several blocks at a time so that I don't have to stop between blocks and type some more.

Knitting this afghan is a journey for me. Each block on average is taking 6-8 hours of my time. But the beauty that grows with each row is so exciting that I can barely wait to get to the next block. With all the other activities that go on this time of year, I don't expect to get this afghan completed before Christmas. The blocks that are done will have to go into a box and and I.O.U. on the top. The recipient will just have to settle for an unfinished afghan with the expectation of getting it before summer arrives.

Meanwhile on the farm, we didn't expose our ewes to the rams until Dec. 1. While having early babies was fun this past year, we bred late in hopes that we lose fewer lambs since the weather should be more agreeable to lambing in April and May. The ewes are so fat and sassy right now.

In spite of space between the Shetland/Finns and the Border/Bluefaced Leicesters, Galahad, the B/B L ram has been standing at the fence jealously eyeing Bob the Babydoll/Finn's flock. Bob is a cutie. He is friendly and easy with the girls as well as easy to handle when time comes to remove from the flock. Galahad is also easy to remove from the flock with a call to come. So like a big dog, he lumbers to the space given to rams that no longer need to be with the ewes.

Now to get back to knitting Christmas. I do not see anyway possible to get everything knitted or stitched before Christmas, but I will do what I can to get as much as possible completed before the big day. In the meantime, onward and forward!

Photo Updates of My Babies

My digital camera and I spent some time together the other day to snap some photos of curious sheep. I thought it would be hard to get pictures, but not the way it was. I found it hard to get good photos because everyone was curious what the "Great Food Meister" was doing among them. My one little ram (babydoll/Finn/Shetland) wanted to nose the lens and since he is a ram in training, it wasn't real safe to squat down. I have been gently butted, but only because I wasn't doling out the candy corn fast enough. So I went back into the house and when I came back out, I rounded the corner of the house carefully and got this side view photo of him before he saw me and came running to me looking for a handout. I am planning on using this little guy on my 50/50 Shetland/Finn ewes this fall. That should improve the crimp and productivity in preparation of using a higher percentage Babydoll ram next fall. So what do you think of my little guy? He is stocky, small, short crimpy fiber, easy to handle, and a big baby.

So Much To Be Done

Here it is a day away from October and I'm not ready for winter. I have 3 shelters to build for the sheep and goats and a hen house to winterize. I also have about 8 extra ewes and 2 rams to find homes for. I really hate to part with those ewes as I am really pleased with the fiber I'm getting. I have a 2-fold breeding program.

The first program I'm breeding a 50/50 blend of Border Leicester and Bluefaced Leicester for a silky long lock for durable yarns. The next program is more complicated. I love Babydoll sheep but only have 3 but they are mixed with a percentage of Finn. They still have the babydoll type fleece. The only problem is that the fleece is short. Now I'm not complaining about the crimp, mind you, only the lack of length. So I introduced a 50/50 Shetland/Finn to my Babydolls last fall. I didn't get the typey fleece from my older ewe who is 50/50 Babydoll/Finn. However, her 2007 twin daughters who are 75/25 Babydoll/Finn presented me with very crimpey/longer-fleeced youngsters. The feel is luscious. The little ram even has close to a babydoll face and the size is just a fraction more than the original babydoll breed. I will get some pictures to post this week. I want longer fleece with the babydoll crimp and softness. I am continuing my breeding program this fall to improve on what I have. I want fibers that yearn to be next to the skin. Let's see how well I do. Until next time......kate of WindSong Fibers Farm

Fiber Festival Preparation

I don't know if I've mentioned it or not in my prior posts, but I am a board member this year for the Hoosier Hills Fiber Festival 2008. This will be its 4th annual gathering at Johnson County Fairgrounds in Franklin, Indiana on June 6th and 7th.

Now I've never been a board member for anything before, but I can tell you this much it is a lot of hard work planning a festival. My baby is getting the booklet and handouts completed as well as floor layouts printed up so that everyone has something to hold onto so as not to forget us for next year.

On top of all that, I have my own brood of sheep, alpacas, Angora goats, dogs, and spouse to care fore as well. My lambs think I'm the mom finder and do their best to bleat as loud as they can so that when they need a drink and can't find mom, I will come rushing out of the house to their aid in their "mom" search. After 8 weeks of this, I'm getting pretty calloused to it though. I try not to hear them in spite of their high-pitched calls for help. Only if one persists for an extended period of time do I go check to see if there is something really wrong other than they don't want to move from a particular spot and want their mom to come to them.

I am proud to say that this year, I have some really nice lambs I will be selling at Hoosier Hills...or should I say that my darling hubby will manning the pen. I will have all the information he needs along with paperwork so that he can tell interested buyers what mix the lamb is or so he can call me on the cell and have me come out and talk to potential buyers. I have 50/50 Shetland/Finns, 50/25/25 Finn/Babydoll/Shetlands, & 37.5/37.5/25 Finn/Babydoll/Shetland blends. I have posted a photo of one of the 50/50 ewes I will be selling. Her 1/2 sister from last year blessed me with a beautiful black ewe this year. All their fibers are awesome and I can't wait for the couple of lambs I'm keeping to have fleece long enough to shear. By festival time I may also have some Border/Bluefaced Leicester lambs, but they haven't arrived yet. I will have an Angora kid buck for sale and maybe a doe. I haven't made up my mind. But the doe and the buck are twins from this year and they are soooo cute!!!!

I missed church this morning because yesterday we sheared 10 alpacas. There was a crew of 5 of us and we started about 10:30 and went until near 7 p.m. I am sooo sore that I couldn't get out of bed this morning until almost 10. It took me an hour to get loosened up so that I could move. I still ache and hope I feel better tomorrow. I don't like being stiff and sore! lol!!! If you read this blog and would like to see the lambs before the festival, feel free to drop me a line. kate of WindSong