Saturday, July 25, 2020

Leaf Peepers is a Wrap

Hello Everyone,

I played hooky from quilting yesterday and took Leaf Peepers out on a photo shoot.


I wanted to have a good picture to put on the front of the pattern. I will release the pattern this week and put it on my Etsy site.


We headed out to Ironstone Winery in Murphys, CA because we knew this old building was there.


There was such a difference in the color of the quilt going from sunlight to shadow.


This is probably my favorite picture, but it doesn't really showcase the quilt with any detail.


It was hot yesterday while we were out taking pictures. Note to self:  Do not wear sandals when out tromping through the weeds and woods holding a camera and a quilt.  My toes felt very exposed to rattlesnakes.....and this is the time of year when they are very active.

Several years ago, we were at a winery buying wine barrels for Mr. Joe's woodworking business.  Again, I was in sandals. When Mr. Joe moved a barrel, three rattlesnakes were behind it, and  prepared to strike.  I never knew these two old people could move so fast!

Those of you who follow my blog know that my granddaughters are involved in FFA (Future Farmers of America). They raised turkeys, goats, and pigs. The girls were so disappointed when the county fair was cancelled, and there was only an online auction. They loved spending two weeks at the fair every summer talking with fairgoers about their animals.  They loved showmanship and judging in the ring in front of a large audience.

This year, judging took place from pictures the girls submitted. Emily's goat was crowned reserve champion.


Kinsey is taking her pigs for a walk.


Emily does the same with her pigs.


Taking five turkeys for a walk is the equivalent to herding cats!


So, to make a long story short, we bought a pig.  A whole pig. Our new freezer will be delivered next week.  Now we have to clear a spot for it in the garage.

Next year, Emily wants to raise a steer in addition to goats, pigs, and turkeys.  I guess we should have purchased a bigger freezer.

Soon,
Lynn




12 comments:

  1. Looks like you’ll have strategic bacon reserves for a while! The girls have grown into beautiful young women! Their livestock is all prize-worthy! Your Leaf Peepers photo shoot is perfect....maybe you might want to save room in the freezer for rattlesnake, too...I hear it’s a delicacy!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This winter we can stretch out a frozen rattlesnake and use it as a draft catcher at the bottom of the front door....NOT!

      Delete
  2. Beautiful Leaf Peepers! The colors in the sun: love it! Oh boy, I know what I'll be buying this week! :-) And What wonderful grandchildren! It's sad about the fair being cancelled: ours up here in Healdsburg was cancelled too. :-( a hard year for the kids!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, it's been a hard year for the kids. We figured the least we could do was buy a pig. I guess Grammy and Poppy are real pushovers!

      Delete
  3. We just bought our first beef this year and the pig we bought is being made into all kinds of wonderful meats right now. We are definitely going to keep buying whole animals and even might check out a local option for chickens! Much easier to walk to my freezer instead of a trip to the grocery!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm looking forward to having a supply of meat around. Did you know there is a freezer shortage? We didn't until we tried to buy one. We wanted an upright, but ended up getting the last chest freezer available in our area.

      Delete
  4. Our county fair just got over - way different than any other! Pigs came in, showed and went home. Limited crowd, kids wore masks. Next day cattle came in, showed and went home. Next day goats and sheep came in, showed and went home. Small animals came in the next day and went home. Horse show was today, started at 8 a.m., got rained out at 1:00. No exhibits! No entertainment, no parade! All three grandkids did extremely well with their pigs, calves and goats! Hopefully, next year's fair will be back to "normal" We will be butchering one of the pigs for our freezer!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I felt so sorry for all of the FFA, and 4H kids. I hope next year is better for everyone. Stay well.

      Delete
  5. Tu vas avoir une fameuse réserve de viande dans ton congélateur.
    Il y a quelques années, j'avais une connaissance qui élevait des porcs et j'en achetais pour ma réserve au congélateur. A présent nous ne sommes plus assez nombreux (l'âge réduit notre bulle...).

    Merci pour tes articles qui sont toujours assez agréables à lire.
    En Belgique, les règles de sécurité redeviennent plus strictes car l'épidémie reprend un peu. Ceci afin d'éviter que le personnel soignant ne soit à nouveau sur le terrain du combat.
    Prends soin de toi et de ceux qui t'entourent.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. J'espère que tu restes bien aussi Monique. Nous nous habituons tellement à rester à la maison tout le temps.

      Delete
  6. We bought a pig from a local farmer when the giant processing plant in Sioux Falls, SD was shut down because of COvid, just couldn't see the sense of allowing all that meat to go to waste, and the farmers receiving nothing. It was "some pig," we got 250 😳 pounds of meat. The freezer is jam packed now, but I'm not complaining!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Our pig should be ready for pick up this week. Our freezer is in place, and we are ready! I'm curious to see just how much it fills the freezer.

      Delete