Well, I had an entire post up here for today, but lost it due to tech problems. Still trying to figure this blogging stuff out. Today we cleaned the chimney and started the first fire in the wood stove. I was trying to wait for October, but, alas, I woosed out. Currently working on new 7 foot loom and loving it! Harvesting green peppers (finally) and broccoli (still). Ate all the cabbage (yum) and picked the last of the red tomatoes. And what is new in your world??

All is well after the storm, thank God. Now it is back to work! I had been scurrying around in the garden before the big winds, and managed to pull the flax. I did not get as high a yield as I had hoped for, but it still looks pretty hanging over the window. I will let it dry there and then try to figure out what else to do with it! I also picked the Hopi Black Dye sunflower and made a nice dye bath! I was very excited about this and it made a soft shade of purple. I was able to get about 250 yards out of the bath. I wish I had a camera to show off the results. Other spinning news (can you tell I have been working during the storm?)...I finally got the jumbo flyer kit all waxed and assembled on the wheel. It was worth it! Thanks again mom!! I have started to spin on it, but the bobbin is so big I have not finished it yet. Still figuring out the math on how to pound the nails for the new loom. (more on this later) The river is still flowing quite high and fast. It has been like this for weeks. I cannot remember a time when it has run so high for so long. I am getting used to the sight and sound of it, and will miss it when it goes back to normal. When it does subside, I plan a long hike along the rim to find good drift wood. I have a specific piece in mind, one that will fit on the spinning wheel that I can use as a distaff. As for chicken news, they did not know what to make of the high wind that we had yesterday. I let them out with a warning not to stray to far from the coop, and at first they blew around this way and that. After they settled down a bit, they decided to hide in the bushes. Every time the wind would slow, they ventured out for a look around, only to go running back into the bush when the wind would kick up. They kept looking at the clouds and running all around as if to say, "the sky is falling, the sky is falling"

We are busy making preparations for the storm. Mark is digging new drainage around the side of the house so the water will have a new path on its way to the river. Speaking about the river, she is high and muddy. I am concerned because the ground is already saturated and the river is already 5 to 6 feet above normal. The rain that will fall concerns me more than the wind that will be with it. Time will tell.

A rainy morning starts with a parade of wild turkeys down the hillside. I was surprised to see such a small flock, and it consisted almost entirely of Toms. Usually we see a healthy harem of 16 to 18 hens with one or two Toms...but today there were only 7 turkeys and over half of them were males. Humm....what could this mean? I finished painting the trim on the house (finally) and picked the tomatoes yesterday, so today I will be making sauce and freezing it. I decided not to jar it up because I do not have the quanity to make it worth it. This was not the best summer for the tomatoes. I have started to spin the llama wool that I purchased a year ago at the Woodstock Fair Grounds. It is really very nice to work with. I wish I had purchased more! I am also in the process of finishing a shawl on the tri-loom. It is almost ready to come off the loom, just have to finish the fringe. I am trying to complete this as soon as possible, as I am anxious to use the new loom that Mark made for me. It is larger than the first one, but I still have to pound the nails in before I can try it out. We brought hay for the winter so we had to find a nice dry storage area to stack it. This is a challenge around here (as the shed is not finished). You should have seen the chickens- they discovered the fresh bales in the back of the stationwagon, and hopped right in! It would have made a great picture! Anyway, it is all stacked and covered up tight so it is nice and dry even though we are in for a few rainy days.

Another beautiful sunny dry day around here. I spent a good deal of the day doing more garden chores, and hanging loads of wash on the line. The National Park Service started work on the bridge, so Marks drive to work is a little longer. Now he drives over the mountain instead of next to the river. One of the Black Stars laid her first egg! Only she did not lay the egg in a nest box. She laid it up on the roosting shelf! I hope she figures it out soon! Curt stopped by with a radiator for the Pontiac...lets hope it fits....guess what we will be working on this weekend? The radiator in the Pontiac has been leaking since the deer hit it this spring, so its about time to get it fixed!