The Upstairs Bath + Lambing Continues

Thanks for all your sweet comments last week. Julia is still under the weather and we have been to the doctor a few times and are having some tests run. I had a bit of a false start on my new book project and then real life interrupted again. But I promised to take you all along for the ride so here we go. 

I had to start somewhere. On my new book project that is. I've got the basic premise and subject matter - PATTERN. And as Kim Werker says in this very well written blog post - the best thing to do is just start. 

I'm beginning with the upstairs bathroom because I have been fantasizing about some changes for years. Here's a photo that Rikki Snyder took of the it several years ago. The scribbling on the side of the tub was done by Julia when she was about 2 with "bathtub crayons." There were some nasty comments on the Houzz article about those scribbles but they were part of our lives and her growing up and they are precious to us.  

My plan is beginning to take shape. I began by taping off the walls with wide stripes with 3M Painters Tape for Delicate Surfaces. I also purchased some Frog Tape for Delicate Surfaces which many people swear by. I chose to use the blue 3M tape because it would show up on my photos for all of you. I will test them both as the projects progress but for now, the 3M is what I am using. 

After taping the whole room, I painted on a layer of messy white paint on the wider sections. On purpose, I left some of the yellow showing through. It is part of my plan. 

Although progress has been delayed once again, at least something has begun. I can't wait to see what I have in my head come out on the walls. Stay tuned.

A friend of mine shared this video of a 3 year old girl pulling a lamb for the first time. Amazing. Julia never would have done this at 3 - nor now. Great British accents. I love the part where she says "It's a bit slippery." Gotta love little farmgirls. They aren't squeamish about anything.

Normally, you don't "pull" a lamb unless there is a problem of some kind or if the ewe has been in labor for a very long time and needs some help. I'm not sure what the circumstances were in this case. I just love the conversation between the mother and the little girl and the determination in her face. 

We are still having some new lambs - every once in awhile. Mostly it is over for this year though. Now it is maintenance of feeding them and waiting for them to grow. When the mud finally gets over (it is quite horrendous) and the grass starts to grow, the lambs will be weaned by separating them from their mamas and moved onto pasture. That is still at least a month away though. 

You can see from the photos all taken on a beautiful sunny day that the lambs are all different sizes. Date of birth, breed of sheep, genetics, amount of milk the mama produces, and whether the lamb is a twin or a single all effect the growth rate. 

Sheep farming is pure science - working with nature and the earth. It is really interesting and there is always some kind of challenge to discover and figure out a solution for. It certainly has kept Mark interested over the years and it has enriched my life and Julia's life too - even if she can't wait to get off the farm and live in a city. I know way more than would have ever thought I would know about farming now. I frequently catch myself saying "I've come along way from the suburbs of Jersey." There are many Jersey girls that would never get caught doing what I have to do nor living with the mud, muck, manure and dirty house. I count myself lucky (although not always) that I have had the chance to live on a farm and witness so many fascinating (and sometimes sad and disgusting) things. It isn't a life for the faint of heart though, I must admit. 

I hope you all have a great week. Hope to see some of you tomorrow at the Northfield Public Library for the FREE talk - see post below. I'll have lots of samples with me and books for sale.