The past few days has been a whirlwind of weather. From almost 100km gusts to temperatures in the mid-teens, tricking some tree buds into thinking it's spring, to downpours, and back to snow. While I know one week of weather isn't "proof' of climate change, it's real, and it's affecting us all. In the midst of all this weather uncertainty, I give you DUCKS! Part of the reason we have ducks, is because they make us happy. Yes, they have amazing eggs, yes, they help control flies, yes, they also help control slugs and are easier on the garden than chickens, but, I think most of all, we just really like to watch ducks - they make us smile.

Listening to their quirking and quacking, seeing them waddle around having their won private ducky conversations, makes our hearts just a little lighter. 

I hope they make you smile too.

Split rail fences are surprisingly still fairly common in Grey and Bruce counties. Originally made with rot resistant American Chestnut until chestnut blight quickly decimated the American Chestnut population. Being an area with an abundant white cedar population, cedar replaced chestnut, and voila, you have a fence similar to the one that marks the boundary of our homes yard. Our fence isn't the traditional zig-zag or double post fence (it's held together with rusty fencing wire),the rails themselves have definitely been there a long time.

When we moved in, the fence had a definite lean to it. Being on the hillside of the marsh, we knew it would eventually need some attention. Well, the winds of this past week moved eventually to now. A sentiment we seem to embrace around here. So, this past Sunday, we ventured out in the lovely weather with some t-posts from our resource pile, a post pounder, and a willingness to scratched by branches.

Tim and I gingerly climbed over the remaining upright section of the fence and together, put our back into it to put the fence right. Well, it didn't take that much effort. I held the fence, Tim pounded the posts. Within an hour, it was all done. A total of 6 posts were straightened, 5 with t-posts, one using another post as a brace again a tree on the hillside. I only managed to come away with one scratch, Tim had a couple. At least it was done and the prospect of trudging out into the snow, trying to pound posts into frozen, slippery ground is no longer. Onto he next thing!

Since the summer I've had this idea of trying to weave a farm wool item on a floor loom. I've made a couple of much smaller prototypes, but just couldn't find the time to warp up the larger loom with some handspun. Late one night, in the middle of a bout of insomnia, I decided that I was going to warp the loom. So I found several skeins of grey, 2-ply handspun and promptly measured out the wapt on one of the warping frames. I'm quite a relaxed weaver, and was happy with whatever I could get. I think it's around 10 feet long. This warp is very thick. Getting it through the heddles on the lom was a challenge, but I did it. At least I din't have to think when warping as I leave the old warp on the loom and tie the new one to it. I know it's not the right way to do it. It works for me. Once the warp was on and tied, I could get back to actually weaving, which was the whole point. I have no idea what this peice is going to end up being, but that's part of the fun. I do get to chooses from the past year's handspun yarns I made and put them in a visually pleasing to me manner, as a marking of the 2020. 

More Asha

Yes, she is coming around. Here she is this week. 

This week she's okay with me watching her eat, and will even keep her back to me. As you can see, she's a bit of a chonk-monster. How adorable she is, cattitude and all!

As 2020 comes to an end, I hope all of you have a wonderful holiday.
Take care, and stay safe.