I wrote this post about wheelbarrows a couple of weeks ago. I ended by saying that the last photo would deserve it’s own post.
We moved to our farm in the summer of1999 and these photos were taken in the spring of 2000, That is Katie and her friends painting the cart that was to become The Chariot in preparation for the 6th grade Roman Days.
That’s Katie in front and good friends, Camilla and Morgan, with younger brother Chris in the background.
This will be interesting for any of you who know the farm. That barn in the background is the old barn that is where the lambing area is now–between the current big red barn and the stall barn. The yellow building to the left of the old barn is the concrete part of the ram pen that is now behind the big red barn and covered by the shade.
The girls practiced their chariot race in front of my mom’s house which was across the street from the high school where the activities would be held.
Chariots lined up and ready to go.
Camilla was to ride in the chariot and is dressed in her finery. I don’t know who the boys in front are, but they show up in some of the next photos.
It looks like Katie and one of the boys took the role of the horses for at least one run.
This photo shows two of the boys pulling the chariot. I suppose there weren’t enough chariots to go around and they shared.
Fast forward 24 years. Here is the chariot in its current state. Dan uses it to hold tools when he needs to take them from the garage to somewhere else. We have plenty of old bicycles around from which to steal parts. Too bad that he removed one of the best additions to the chariot before I took this photo. For a couple of years there was a pink flamingo mounted somewhere on it, but I it got wobbly and Dan took it off. If it reappears I’ll take another photo.
Back to my regular blog posts. It’s time to pay attention to the dye garden.
The weld appeared on its own where I grew weld last year. No work on my part except to clear out the old and dried out plants from last year. I didn’t pay any attention to the weld bed until the plants started to dry out. That happens after it flowers and produces seeds. I’ve never paid much attention to the specifics of growing weld (it is so easy!) and was thinking that it was all annual growth. I just looked up “growing weld” and read that it is a biennial. How did I not know that? I think I’ve had first and second year plants in the same bed and wasn’t paying attention. All I know is that it makes a great dye.
As the plants dry out the leaves fall off the stems. I pulled out some of the dead plants and then scooped up what leaves I could. I also harvested fresh leaves from stems I cut off green plants. I was thinking that the leaves make the best dye, but looking up weld again I realize that people use the stalks and flowers too. This experiment used just leaves.
Two dye pots ready to go. I had two batches of yarn, each 12 ounces So I weighed 12 ounces of fresh leaves and guessed at using 4 ounces of dry leaves. The yarn I usually dye is my Timm Ranch yarn since I have more of it than the Jacob yarn.
Here is the result. I can’t tell the difference between using dry and fresh leaves. That’s good to know. I need to get out there tomorrow and cut a lot of the stalks so I can put them in a safe place to finish drying before all the leaves fall off.
Putting these photos together reminded me that I had done some dyeing earlier in the year. I gathered what was left of the oxalis flowers just before I left for my Texas trip in early April and did a quick dyepot.
Here is the brilliant result, on white and gray yarn.
Next up may be madder. because I finally hacked away most of the tops of plants that have been growing for two or three years. That’s when the roots are ready for dying. I just have to dig them up and then chop them.
I was writing a blog post last night and after about 3 photos I couldn’t upload any others. I was told I was out of space. I started this blog in 2008 with this post on January 14. My next post on the same day could have been written a year ago. There are a few more sheep now, but my thoughts about shearing day are the same. One reason I write the blog is as my own journal. In that last post I told about an injury to Ranger, which is something I still refer to, but just didn’t remember the date. It is the comment from the vet, when discussing potential brain injury in a sheep, “at least he doesn’t have to drive heavy machinery”.
By the January 28 blog post I figured out how to include a photo. One photo and it’s small. Same issues–sheep that don’t want to be herded and figuring that out with Rusty. Now it’s Ginny. The next one and the last one I’ll link to here tells a little known fact about myself.
So here we are 15 years later and I guess I’ve outgrown the free version of WordPress. There was a hiatus here when my blog posts were all at my website on Squarespace. I started writing blog posts there in January, 2019. In the first post I said: “I have spent time the last couple of days figuring out how to move my blog from WordPress to this new home (and whether or not I should move it). I started my blog January, 2008! Ten years ago! I feel very protective of that blog. I know it’s out there for the public to see, but it’s really my personal photo album/scrapbook. I love having digital memories. The old paper albums languish on the shelf and are covered with dust and the photos deteriorate. I love that when I scan photos (and recently kid’s drawings) they come to life so much more…and the added benefit is that I don’t have as much STUFF around.” Some of the photos are the same as now–Ginny rolling her ball in the ditch Across the Road and the view of Mt. Diablo from Across the Road, but Rusty and Maggie are gone now.
It was about a year ago that I realized that if (when) I someday stop paying for the Squarespace website the blog posts there would all be gone. That would be like losing all your photo albums. This is one I wrote on my website while I was debating what to do. Since then I have written some posts on my website, but more have been at WordPress. However it seems I am not blogging as much as I used to. This post really is like an entry in a diary. Does anyone care? It’s helping me to figure out where everything is.
In the meantime my son and daughter-in-law. hearing what I said, started having these books made. I’ve been getting one on my birthday and Mother’s Day.
Here is the latest gift, blog posts from the middle of 2017. I don’t know if they have all of these lined up in a closet for the next birthday or if they make them as an event comes up. I find myself looking for a particular story and then sitting down with the book and remembering all the rest. Isn’t that a great gift?
I originally subtitled this post “Where is a Millennial When you Need One?” As I reread it just now I see that I veered off from the original point–that is, now I have to pay for this blog and I hope I did it in a way that all the other posts will be accessible. I think I’m paying for a domain to meridianjacobs.blog . I guess I’ll find out when I click “post” and I’ll see what happens. Hope to see you on the other side! Let me know in the comments or by email if you’re reading!
I was talking with my daughter and she said something about her memory of a wheelbarrow that had been at my mom’s house. I thought it was probably around here somewhere (do farmers ever throw anything away?) and that prompted me to look for it.
This is the current barn wheelbarrow. I think I’ve had this one since before we moved here in 1999.That tape has been on a crack in the handle for years and it has had new wheels. Is it possible that this is the wheelbarrow that came with us from the dairy? Maybe Rubbermaid should be making cars.
This is just a newer version of the other one, It is supposed to be Dan’s wheelbarrow but it has made it to the barn too.
I started looking for others. There are new wooden handles for this one under that bench. I think the handles were a Christmas present for me, but there is obviously some work to be done to make this functional.
This started life as a wheelbarrow and when the “barrow” part broke Dan adapted it to a one-wheeled platform to move things around. It has been in one place for awhile and junk and pine needles have accumulated.
How about this one? Needs work.
As does this one.
Don’t know this one’s story. Maybe it’s upside down to keep it from filling with rain. Or is it in need of serious repair?
Wheelbarrow converted to planter.
This one deserves more of a story . That will be another post.
The title of this post implies a cool photo. Sorry. There are no photos of sheep and hummingbirds together. However I have some of each. This post was going to be about hummingbirds but then other photos caught my eye.
Sheep on fresh pasture.
This is Sweetgrass Eileen.
Birdsfoot trefoil flower.
Now for the hummingbirds.
I had way too many photos but narrowed it down to these.
Now that the aloe is flowering I notice hummingbirds there frequently. Sometimes there are two or three at the same time.
This was easier to photograph than hummingbirds. I needed only one photo.
Sheepdog trials have been held off and on in the area of the Montezuma Hills in Solano County since the 1930’s. They have been a more regular occurrence at the McCormack Ranch since 2013, but the Covid pandemic disrupted the event. This was an important year for the Sheepdog Trial return because of the threat to Solano County from a group of wealthy investors whose plan to build a city in this area have disrupted many lives here. I encourage you to visit the websites for Solano Together and Solano Rural Defense to learn more.
This text is from the Solano Together website: “California Forever” is a sprawl development project proposed for eastern Solano County by a group of billionaire Silicon Valley investors known as “Flannery Associates.” Since 2017, the group has acquired 62,000 acres of agricultural land between Fairfield, Rio Vista, and beyond—an area larger than both Fairfield and Vallejo combined—for over $900 million. Since the purchase of the land, concerned Solano County residents have accused Flannery of deploying secretive tactics by keeping their identity elusive and misleading the public, government officials, and landowners about their intentions. Later, Flannery launched a half a billion dollar litigation process against local farmers and ranchers who refused to sell to them, accusing them of antitrust behavior.”
The screenshots are from Solano Rural Defense:
I got carried away there. This post is supposed to share photos of the weekend. Our small but dedicated group called Fiber Farms and Friends planned to be there and work with the Solano Together coalition to attract attention and discuss the issues. There are no photos from Saturday. Although we tried to attend the event to educate the public and promote the cause, a major storm disrupted the event for the public. The dogs still competed, but it was far too wet and windy for most spectators and for those of us trying to set up displays. We started with the canopy up and weighted with sandbags in 5-gallon buckets, but we had to take it down when the wind started to take it apart.
Sunday was gorgeous.
This is the sign that marks one of the turns I took to get to the ranch. I don’t remember the numbers, but the thousands of acres of wheat harvested here each year result in well over a million loaves of bread. The wheat is farmed without irrigation and relies on rainfall. That is what “dryland farming” is all about and we resent that the Flannery group talks about this area being of low value.
We set up a canopy next to RioVision, an organization created to “build, revitalize, energize and beautify the Rio Vista community”, the closest town to this area. The Solano Together representative, a member of one of the multi-generational family farms here, set up the sign at the corner of our area.
It’s hard to see, but there is a group of sheep penned near the top of the hill and there are 4 sheep with a dog and a person just below. They are waiting for the next competitor.
The handler of the competition dog stays near the white post while the dog is sent up the hill to gather the sheep. The dog must take the sheep through a series of panels and demonstrate “the shed” and “single”–that the dog can split the group or separate a sheep when necessary. Then the dog puts the sheep in the pen. There is a time limit for this activity and there is a judge who determines points for each component.
Many dogs were waiting in their vehicles, but there is a group here who are attentively watching the action.
Most of the time while the dogs were working we were spinning (Beth and Carol) or weaving (me). These activities always draw attention and we spent a lot of time explaining the processes while then explaining that we were here to support the Solano Together cause.
That’s the Solano Together corner of our canopy. That was all that was needed because the main point is to talk to people.
I set up this display next to my small loom. I remembered that I had some signs left from when I did a show at The Artery several years ago. This was a good time to bring them out. I also found that I had a little yarn left from the Anderson Ranch shearing (see blog post from 2014). I wove shawls, one of which I will donate to the cause to be a visual prop of what this land is about and to sell or raffle for fund raising. The scarf I was weaving is also from Anderson Ranch wool.
During the lunch break these musicians played. I wish I could remember their names. They were here on Saturday also. Can you image trying to do this with the rain wildly blowing through? None of us could function out there and had to give up then. On Sunday I was talking to people and couldn’t pay attention most of the time, but I realized I was singing along to “This Land is My Land” and then the words would change. These musicians have adapted the words of many familiar songs to the local land.
This was a wonderful way to showcase what is at risk for many farmers personally and for Solano County and California in general. Notice that mountain way in the distance.
This is of where we were stationed, just to the right of the last photo.
After I got home, I walked Across the road, my regular route. One thing to point out is that this is not dryland farming. Irrigation water is used most other areas of the county. This field I planted to a new crop of alfalfa. It was tomatoes last year and sunflowers before that. That mountain in the distance is Mt. Diablo, the same one I pointed out in the previous photos. I’m looking at it due south. It was to our west at the McCormack Ranch.
If you do a search in either of the blog locations (WordPress that you’re reading now, or the one on my website that I don’t use much now) you can find Timm Ranch shearing posts from other years. I could probably substitute photos because the sheep look the same, the shearing location looks the same, our skirting set up looks the same, and some of the Farm Club members are the same–but not all of them. I just searched the WordPress blog and see 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018. After that I think I started with my website blog. So here is a view of 2024.
The sheep are a blend of Rambouillet, Polypay, and Targhee. Once in awhile a new ram is brought in, but the Timm family mostly raises their own replacements so the blend of breeds has stayed the same.
This year they sheared about 120 ewes.
We set up two canopies and two skirting tables.
The shearing team started with one shearer but eventually there were two working.
As the fleeces came off the sheep we piled some of them nearby. We were slower than a professional crew would be, but that is because I want to be careful about what I send to one of our small local mills. I knew there would be plenty of wool so I can be picky with what I take. What we don’t take goes into the bale that the Timm Ranch will sell or to my neighbor, Charlene, to be made into Integrity’s Wool Pellets (formerly Gardener’s Gold).
Three lambs got through the fence and wandered around while we were working. (Thanks to Sue G for the previous three photos.)
Another view of shearing.
Ewes after shearing.
We checked staple strength and length and skirted away manure and felted areas.
This is the 130 pounds that I kept. It will go to Mendocino Wool and Fiber for spinning. Yarn from 2022 is here and some of the TR yarn that I have dyed is here. Most of the blankets I weave use TR yarn for warp and sometimes for weft. The painted warp V-Shawls are all TR. You can see a variety of those pieces on this page.
It was a beautiful day at Timm Ranch. Blue sky and green hills just starting to turn gold. Thanks to Farm Club for all their help!
I taught a 2-1/2 day workshop this weekend for CNCH (Conference of Northern California Handweavers). It went very well, mainly because the attendees were all very enthusiastic and patient. That is a lot of people to have in a hands-on workshop when learning a brand new idea. I came home inspired and I hope they did too.
Here is a view of the classroom after I unloaded my trailer. I brought 6 looms for people to use as well as all the gadgets that go with them and the yarn for the projects.
I brought several shawls to as examples and we figured out a way to hang them, clothesline style.
This is how the classroom looked after I had all my things arranged. This was before 7 more looms showed up and we had to find room for warping boards.
I knew that we wouldn’t be able to hang warping frames on the walls and I suggested using metal grid wall to provide “walls”. The room got more and more cluttered looking as we set up work stations around warping boards and looms. It was already cluttered looking because of the dramatic design of the carpet and the stripy walls.
This is the classroom next door. There is still a distracting rug, but overall the classroom looked much more organized with the looms all arranged in rows like a desks in a classroom. These looms were brought to the show already warped, so they didn’t need to start with warping stations like we did.
Our classroom looked a little more chaotic, but there was a lot of work going on here. In this photo some people are still warping and others are threading their looms.
At this point everyone was weaving. It is hard to tell that there were 13 weavers in this room (some just out of the photo).
It was fun to see the variety of warp designs.
This photo shows one of the shawls partially through the Weave a V part. Warp threads are cut in pairs at the back of the loom and then those warp threads become weft, creating a plaid design.
On Saturday night teachers were asked to stay in their classrooms so that other attendees could wander through and see what was going on in each class. Some of the students stayed as well and were glad to demonstrate the technique (while making progress on their projects).
This seems to be a random photo. I left the hotel early on Saturday and Sunday mornings to take a brisk walk around the golf coarse.
Sunday noon. Some of the students didn’t finish the shawls in class and will finish at home, but some did finish in time to open up the shawls and take photos. These shawls all need finishing touches–tie or twist fringe and wet finish. Then they will have an ore finished look. It is fun to see so many color ideas!
The unique design of the V-Shawl is evident when you see the backs!
Thanks to all these students for making this a great weekend!
The Eclipse in Texas post is here. That was on Monday. I was flying out on Wednesday, but in the meantime Dan and I had a day to find something to do. Kids were at school and Katie and Kurtis were at work. We drove to the town of Blanco to see what we could find.
We ended up at the Buggy Barn Museum where there are over 250 buggies, wagons, and carriages of all types. There is also a street with the Old West look and buildings that can be rented for photoshoots or gatherings.
We wandered around the Old West and explored the buildings.
We found a donkey (plastic) peering out of a stable.
Then we found the interconnected buildings that house the buggies. There are signs on some but not all. I don’t know what this wagon carried–something that needed to be confined to a cage.
Detail of the wheel on that buggy.
I can’t tell you all the different types, but there are a lot. Some of the buggies have signs that list movies or TV shows in which they have been used. Some have been restored for those shows. Others are replicas.
This is a view from an upstairs room that was also filled. There were several times I glimpsed a person driving or riding in a buggy and I had to look twice to realize it was a mannequin.
This person, however, was not a mannequin, but he dressed for the period. He was glad to see us and spent quite awhile telling us stories about some of what we were seeing.
Metal vultures overlooking the fence on the way out.
Back at the house I went on a walk. This is above the gate at Katie’s neighbor to the east.
This is across the road. That’s a bongo that we mostly saw under this tree. There are also zebras and springboks on the property.
One last photo of my new favorite flower. I find this one fascinating. It is called Antelope Horn for the look of the seedpods. No resemblance at this point. Maybe if I go back in the fall I’ll see some.
Part 2 of this Texas trip is here. This plan started way back last summer when Matt suggested that we all gather at Katie’s place in Texas for the total solar eclipse on April 8. She lives in the path of totality. It’s a good thing that Matt gave me plenty of warning. I bred the sheep a month earlier than normal so that I wouldn’t risk what happened in 2023–lambs due while we were on a planned family trip the first weekend of April. It worked, and all the 2024 lambs were born by March 7.
I didn’t go to Texas just for the eclipse. Since the family is there I spent a week with them.
Our friend, Roger, usually shares Thanksgiving and Christmas with us in California, but now that he has moved to Texas, he was a welcome addition to the Eclipse Day.
I have to attribute most of the photos to Kaleena. She did a much better job than I did with photos, especially of the actual eclipse.
We all tried out our eclipse glasses.
Then we waited.
The day was cloudy and overcast. We saw glimpses of the eclipse as the clouds came and went.
That made for some great photos by Kaleena. I evidently hadn’t paid attention to “how to photograph an eclipse”.
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