What a last couple of days so many sad stories in the news.

Sometimes you just have to walk away from reading it. 

People shooting each other, people passing away. Accidents.

 And, if all else we have to listen about our great leaders. It was kind of nice back in the day the only time you heard from them was once in awhile and it actually meant something to take note and listen. Now it's just scroll fast so you don't have to read about their stupidity, ignorance and craziness.

Depressing, so damn depressing.

 Now they have changed our national Anthem. I am not changing it has taken me nearly fifty years to get it straight. I don’t think it is too big of the deal well except to the person who put the motion ahead and somebody listened to them. I bet that was pretty awesome for on their part. The national anthem is like the ABC’s ~ you know the part L.M.N.O.P you just say it fast to get it over with. It flows nicely. Kids get it as the first part of memorization.

Seriously sometimes you have to just get away from society/social media ~ it’s like all those “what the hell moments”, “are we all stupid moments” And, damn I just don’t get it moments.

The nice part of the week has been celebrating my dads eighty second birthday. That is pretty awesome. We were all lucky to have a nice dinner while visiting last weekend.

Our weather has been mild not too bad for January. A lot of rain for us which is pretty crazy. This rain has given us a very icy yard it is cork boots for sure while doing chores.

On to February it is.

 It is so hard to believe how fast the last month went.

 Hoping you all have a wonderful new month.

A productive day

Today was full of energy. The whole barn is clean it is such a good feeling to get that done. It was not overly messy, but it can always use cleaning. I locked up my little buddies as they were way too much help. Locking them up made them quite unhappy but I couldn’t chance the Alpaca to get them. I had to keep opening and closing the gate on the barn which makes for extra work but again Alpaca had his own agenda. Our Alpaca is a bit of handful…

I was making plans to make some changes with the pens and really, I should have done it years ago. A little higher fence area and an extra piece of wood on the bottom so the babies stay with the right mom. I need a new latch on the gate that was broken from an uptight lamb. Every lambing / kidding year I always want to make a warmer barn and may nights while waiting up all night I dream of doing this. And, then reality is the next season I am making the same plans all over again.

Then I headed over to the drying shed where we dry the lavender. I started to take the bundles of lavender down and put them into boxes. These boxes of bundled lavender and now brought into the house and shall completely dry. This will help take out an moisture that was picked up from the winter air. Then it is debudding time. I hope to get this last part of process done before May depending how long it takes to draw out the moisture.

This weekend all the children, grandchildren and family were home which was very nice, and we had a nice dinner for my dad his birthday is on Wednesday he will be eighty-two. We ate a wonderful supper at Mom and Dad’s and enjoyed some good visits.

We have three girls and three boys, we are blessed

 ~ Girl, boy, girl, boy, girl, boy ~

Each birth was like a Christmas present you never knew what you would get but the anticipation, excitement, the gratitude and the unconditional love that a Mom feels with each child is amazing. I wish I could bottle up those feelings that I felt at that moment of becoming a Mother for the first time and every other time after that. I try to explain it, but I can’t bring it out in words, but it is tucked deep down in my heart that I carry every single day of my life. My children are my greatest joy!

My husband and I do not look like each other at all. We are quite different in appearance, we have different back grounds.

 ~man oh man we make beautiful children~

There is absolutely no denying that these six children are siblings. As unique and individual each one of our children is they hold strong family traits good, so very good.

 I laugh and can close my eyes and damn if I don’t know they are mine. Good or bad. It’s all there.

I worried that as my children grew up that they would be walked all over but no it’s there that strong I’m not taking no shit attitude. It will show up quietly or loudly.

They stand strong together, they tease each other but watch what happens when someone from the outside upsets one, wrong comment, wrong gesture. It’s good so very good. They are close to each other, they talk to one another, they look out for one another, they can hold pretty good grudges to anyone who messes with one of them. Sometimes I feel I should have been a referee, keeping the peace find a middle balance.

My wish for every family is love, hope, faith and Inspiration.

 Lead by example.

Take the roll.  

Sometimes this computer, social media stuff is just over my head.

 Ahh I wrote a blog post last night granted I was seriously so tired I wanted to fall asleep. Well, I tried to share but the picture I had used on blog post of our grandchildren kept coming up on Facebook, so I had to delete the sharing. I tried changing the picture but no, it still showed our babies. So, I did not share it, but it is still there on the blog.

I just can’t figure this blog stuff out, so I guess as fancy as it will get is I write and just share it like a letter. Some people make money on their blog ~ I just don’t get it.

Another thing is Instagram which I really like but again I can’t do anything fancy if you would like to follow I am at #sunflowr and yes, it is spelled just like that. Instagram is quite nice it is a low-key way to follow along.

The other Facebook page I have is Petit Creek Lavender that is a pretty page you can check that out if you like.

Today here is a mixture day of rain, snow and kind of dreary. The temperature is not very cold holding around zero right now. The milder weather is sure being welcomed by the animals I think they are enjoying it. 

Ice

Cork boots and slow steady walk

This is farm life right.

Today I was looking to see if we still had a grain feeder as I could not remember if the cows had wrecked it. I found it peaking out through the snow, so it will have to wait until we have good thaw before I can use it. Instead I gathered black round bins five of them to use for grain for the sheep. I only put a handful of grain in each one and will now wait to see if they find where I put the bins. Once they know it will be good to go.

This winter we decided to feed round bales. I for sure would rather use square bales but I have little help getting the square bales here to the farm. The bonus to using round bales is super simple in the summer I love it. However, the downfall is hard to feed in the winter with the snow, rain and I find quite a bit of waste. So far, this winter I have wrecked two pitch forks from hard to handle round bales.

This past weekend we had our two grandchildren come over for one of the days and visit us while their mom and dad played hockey. Our oldest grandson has a nasty bug and was not feeling well and the littlest this was her first time being with us without her Mom. She did really well I was worried how it was going to be, but she was happy.

The best thing I ever did is buy a treadmill this past summer. 

I love to walk if I have time I could walk all day. I loved to walk to town but seriously it sucks up the whole day and I would never get anything done on those days. 

One thing with the treadmill I don't have to worry about dodging snakes, worms and road kill. I don't have to worry about bears and cougars. I don't have to hit the ditch every once and while because someone doesn't see you or worry about being spread with mud and water from the big trucks. One of the worst moments was a complete dust bath and not being able to see or breath from a low bed.

 Yet even with all of that I do miss the moments of feeling complete, the feeling of an accomplishment and feeling of freedom. 

I walk damn near every day for an hour and at the most two and bit hours ~ any more than that I would no get any work done.

 Since I bought the machine the only days I have not walked on it where when I was in Alaska or visiting our son. The odd day if we were off on day trip or on some days our grandchildren stay longer to visit. I can count under two hands how many days I missed. 

I just put on my head phones super loud and listen to all kinds of music. 

I must teach myself to not feel guilty about doing the walk, it is kind of ingrained in me I need to be constantly working ~ not being idol. So, if I can I will walk during the lunch hour and in the evening after my husband calls it a night. I will also take the dogs to the top of property for a walk. 

One other problem is all this walking makes me damn hungry ~ it's terrible.

Seriously I think everyone should have one. 

Just walk

Go on do it~ it is so good for a soul

Six above and pouring rain in the middle of January, we are having super crazy weather. My daughter had her daycare children out playing in their yard this morning and had all four seasons in an hour. And, here on the farm we have over an ankle-deep amount of water sitting on a foot of snow and it is sure making it icy. The good thing about this mild weather is I am not fighting with ice in the water troughs and the animals can enjoy their time with drinking the water.

Our son is setting up the wildlife camera today we are hoping to see if we can find the reason to what is setting the dogs up. There has been a lot of sightings of cougars, lynx and bobcats in our area. Every time the dogs go crazy at night my stomach drops and I just pray it’s not a wild cat after the sheep. Poor sheep are really, just sitting ducks out there.

My new project is wool felting a rug made with one hundred percent sheep’s wool. I started with wet felting and now have moved onto needle felting. I am using an unbelievable amount of woo land it is a thick squishy mass of wool right now. I love to use fibre of the animals it is such pure, honest way to make items. The animals love to hand over the fibre, they feel lighter and way better and for me to use fibre from an animal that was created for that purpose is a perfect full circle. Win ~ win.

It's raining outside over a good lot of snow which makes ice.

Crazy weather I tell you ~

I read BC mountains are to see the most snow of the entire planet. I wonder if it will happen?

I mentioned our new adventure 

Sheep

Well it is not so new as we have always had sheep and goats but now we will get serious.

Last night I had contacted a lady that I know she has Texel sheep.

 I have acquired some information from her and we will see how lambing goes and I hope to purchase a few Ewes in the Spring. Last night I googled Texel sheep, checked them out. I was enjoying learning more about them when suddenly, the computer decided to shut down right during it all. 

My other source of sheep is going to come from my neighbor across the river she breeds with fibre in mind first then meat. I am quite excited to purchase from her stock as I have always admired her farming, fibre ethnics.

So, we hope to raise twenty-four ewes plus two rams. 

We are in setting money aside mode for the sheep we have a few months to have it arranged. I have family on board for this venture (mainly my husband) usually he doesn't know what I am doing on the farm but since I will need his driving ability, his money and his blessing... I mentioned it to him.

We want to farm but still be able to do somethings take a day to go away or go over night to visit with our children plus we still have a lovely mortgage for a bit. 

Wouldn't it be wonderful if we have it figured out in the next three years so when the bulk of bills is under control (we) my husband can take it a little slower, less crazy hours.

Up and down

Up and down

All kinds of weather!

Our winter has been so weird one minute it is so cold, it like living in a deep freeze. Then we warm up.

Then it snows and then it rains

All I know though all of this we have burned a whole bunch of wood.

Wood is our main source of heat so if we don’t feed the fire we freeze. This keeps us pretty tied to home all winter long someone must be here pretty much 24 -7. Our days seriously consist of feeding the woodstove, to filling the wood box and admiring how nice it looks only to keep burning it and doing all over again. Every weekend is used up by splitting firewood or hauling more home.

There is nothing better than the smell of fresh cut wood the deep pitch smell or the fragrance of a freshly tossed log on the fire.

Our wood stove only gives us tops two and half hours and that is if we are lucky. On cold nights we set the alarm every two hours to make sure we don’t get too cozy under all those blankets.

The whole farm is hooked up on one system underground so if we freeze … the whole farm can too.

This makes for a long winter since the beginning of November I have carry water from the middle of the property to all places it is needed this is to ensure no pipes are freezing from half use.

A steady mild winter would be nice, nothing more than -10 would be ideal.

I can’t even imagine where I have been.

 Life has been so busy, so busy just doing life stuff. I was going to delete this blog but I couldn’t do it.

 I remember writing it in the mornings before I took the kids to the school bus or trying to write something with six different stories being told. I mainly wrote it for my one sister she loved to keep up with what we were doing, reading stories or catching little bits about the kids activities. 

There is spelling mistakes, grammar errors, no sense sentences, loss of train of thought …

 welcome to my life.

 It is one big amazing jumble

I will try to keep up

Honestly the reason why I fell so far behind, so deep

Well

I put a lavender garden in, we made it to over thirteen hundred plants ~ lavender farming is a time sucking, wonderful adventure with absolutely no life and no time for anything else. It is full speed ahead and the only peace, is in the dead of winter. Time will tell how this ventures out.

We are off to start new adventures here on the farm for 2018. Adventures I need to be able to pull off by myself as the children have all grown up and working. And, my poor husband is still taking the lead with horrible hours. I am excited, it will be fun, it will be challenging, I will get creative and make choices.

It will begin with fibre and woolly animals.

Come along for the ride you can click to follow along on the right side of the page.

You can follow along on Facebook at these pages

 Sunflower Farm and Petit Creek Lavender

Also, Instagram is super fun we are @sunflowr

Or add me on snapchat username judy-suzuki

Well Hey this is a test.

 Holy Moly it has been a long time a lot of living has gone on ~ time is crazy

I will just post this and see if it works or not. 

If anyone see's or receives this let me know.