Does Rusty have some angora goat in him, @Nancy Hart ? I have never seen a regular Nubian shed that kind of hair. The very best milk goat that I ever had was part angora, and she had soft fleece and almost looked like a sheep, instead of a goat. Her milk was the richest and creamiest goat milk that I have ever tasted !
His mama was a Nubian, and all I remember about his daddy is he had huge horns, like an American Spanish goat. Could have been a mix also. American Spanish goat I just checked and American Spanish goats were often cross bred for cashmere production in the past. He has the temperament and hardiness of the Spanish breed. .
Have you ever thought about spinning that wonderful wool that you get from Rusty ? That is something that I have always wanted to learn, but never have. They make small spindle-like gadgets for spinning, so you do not have to have the whole spinning wheel apparatus to be able to spin your wool into yarn. Here is a short video of how that is done.
Yvonne, I've been thinking about your video. That might be a great idea! Just one time. Just spin enough (say) to crochet one doily. What a great way to remember old Rusty. Wish I had saved it now. There will be more, but maybe not enough. I imagine it is ruined after laying on the ground. I like to try new things like that.
It should still be fine, @Nancy Hart ! Think how filthy sheep wool is when they bring them in for shearing. Just gather up the fleece, bring it inside and carefully wash it, and pick out any twigs and stuff like that. However, I do not think that you will make a doily from Rusty’s wool, it will be much too thick for that. You need cotton thread for making a doily. But you can make a fine winter hat, or a nice cozy pair of knitted slippers from his wool. If you do not have enough for the project, then combine it with some other yarn that you think looks good together, maybe some of that yarn that looks handspun, and traditional brown or cream colors.
One day I'll post my to do list here. It has 4 parts: Must do, Should do, Could do, and Want to do. I keep starting at the end.
@Nancy Hart our daughters used to spin goat hair, dog hair and sheep wool using a drop spindle, then wove it on a small desktop loom. They made small scarves, neck gaiters, and purses using the stuff and sold much of it at craft fairs.
Went to Lowes Garden Center today...what a big mistake. I am retired, why oh why do I go shopping at a big box store on a weekend? There were so many people there you could hardly move. And the workers there were watering all the plants and you had to push your cart over all the garden hoses! But I did manage to get the flowers I wanted to make my hanging baskets for the back yard. I make my own...why pay the high price for the pre-made ones? Sorry, I am cheap!
It's the same way here at Lowes on Saturday. Walmart is even worse. You have to wait until evening. Making your own baskets sounds like a great idea. I have never tried hanging baskets. I'd probably kill everything in them. Out in the country the birds would build nests in them. There is a small plastic light out there on the porch. My mother kept a can of sand on top to keep the birds off. Last year the light collapsed from the weight and broke it and the globe. I've never replaced it yet, just tacked it back up. Put a glob of chicken wire to keep the birds off, which worked for a year, but they are back this spring. Another thing to put on the to do list.
Well, Nancy, we jumped right into summer after a few days of Spring! It was 85 here today! But on the good side...maybe the grass will not grow as fast and less mowing!
I know. I went out to the country with too many clothes on yesterday. Hope we don't have another rainy summer. Blackberry bushes blooming. Hope I can get enough for one blackberry pie. No excuses...they are right below the barn. Rusty doesn't like to eat plants anymore. The flies bother him when he goes outside the barn. I took him for a walk and all he wanted to do was beg me for gingersnaps.
I only recently learned that my mother's best friend, Mary, died. She was 95. Mary and my mother grew up in the same neighborhood in Ohio, starting when they were both 7 years old. They were friends at least from high school on, probably earlier. Yet they were very different. She never gave up on my mother. Christmas, birthday, wedding anniversary... Mary sent cards every year, without fail, for as long as I can remember, plus regular phone calls after my parents moved to Georgia. I've been trying to identify what I admired most about her, but I can't, so I will give an example. There were 2 other girls in the group of long time friends---Lois and Grace. The other 3 didn't always get along, but Mary was the anchor who tried to keep everyone together. She was quiet, unassuming, and always positive, yet when you told her anything, just the simplest thing, she would get so excited, even more sad (or happy) than you were. Maybe you would describe it as having genuine empathy. From left to right: Mom, Mary, Lois, and Mary's sister. Some time in the early 1940's I would guess. Maybe Grace took the picture? I see a 5th bike.
Friday all of the baby spiders were gone. They started peeling off those clumps, one by one, about a week ago, and took off toward the porch ceiling. They move very fast for such tiny things. But where did they go? There must have been hundreds of them. The birds had torn the chicken wire out above the porch light, and broke the fixture again, so this time the light bulb was touching the side of the house and the wiring was exposed. Temporary fix using duct tape. It looked so nice I made a new bird obstruction for the top neater than before (no pic). This light will stay that way...until it doesn't anymore. Looks like a regular fixture box behind the light. I thought it would need a special fixture made just for mobile homes.