With the gradually lengthening daylight (and mostly sunny days this month), the hens are slowly increasing production. Not fast enough for the people wanting to buy eggs, though....

Speaking of buyers, the people who came to buy three ewes last Friday left with four! Good thing I had spent time pouring over last year's micron test data, because when they hinted at being open to taking a fourth ewe, I knew who I should let go. So Bauble joined Boop, Bonnie Lass, and Blossom for the trip south to their new home. I admit to some pangs, because I thought Bauble was my most beautiful Shetland, and since her dam Blaise is gone I can't try to replicate her. Just the night before, Rick stayed in the Sheep Sheraton awhile after carrying a bucket for me and I caught him loving on Bauble.

I continue to be delighted with my new iPhone's camera capabilities. On my way home from work Thursday, snow-covered Mt. Hood was shining in the sun so I pulled over at the bottom of our hill to see what I could capture. Finally, a true representation of what I get to enjoy with my naked eye!

Evening photo of dark yarn? No problem!

That's it for now from . . .

Forgive me if I have used this C.S. Lewis quote as a blog title before. It just rings so true. Not for my own immediate reality, the reality of my quiet, rural life; that in and of itself brings both relief and guilt for having it so easy and safe. I was not born in untenable conditions of poverty, or famine, or war, or gang violence, or natural disasters, or societal pariahhood; I was born white in America, with an 'acceptable' name and face that does not raise prejudice or suspicion. While my near ancestors were immigrants and came with nothing, they came of their own volition and were legally able to work (on my mother's side) or obtain land to farm (on my father's side). Some call this the accident of birth, but it is no accident that there are WAY too many people who have no compassion, no ability or willingness to imagine themselves in someone else's shoes, with someone else's experiences. Even supposed Christians demonize others for these reasons, ignoring the teachings of Jesus and the Bible as a whole – not that that is anything new since early days.... Humans can just be so utterly vile that being one of the species can be depressing – if one looks steadily at that reality.

So look away, friends. Not to the point of being uninformed, but enough to stay sane. Look to beauty, especially in nature, which, despite all the damage done by humans, still reflects the Creator's hand. Remind yourselves of your blessings, and look to humans who demonstrate kindness, selflessness, generosity, good humor, helpfulness, faith. Strive to be that kind of human. And take care of yourself, because everything looks worse if you are short on sleep, fresh air, exercise, plenty of water, and good nutrition. Lastly (but most importantly for me), trust in God. Today is not guaranteed, but eternity is for those who trust in Him.

Making pictures helps me focus, literally and figuratively, on beauty. And I must say, despite the hours, frustration, and the loss of some data that was meaningful to me in switching over to a new phone, I am enjoying the new iPhone's improved camera.

The original clump is struggling

The clump in the island bed is burgeoning

This one popped up in the yard!

Long-time followers of my blog will not be surprised that we have snowdrops blooming. Soon to follow will be the sarcococca that line the north side of our house, where they are seldom seen and aren't much to see, but perfume the air in a most heavenly way.

My current fiber activities include spinning some navy SW merino/alpaca that I've had for years on my three Dovekie spindles, and plying some IF singles and silk hanky singles spun last year on my 'Big Bird' (Phoenix spindle). I'm still working on my Dala sweater, but need time to put it on waste yarn to try it on.

After I spun all of that, I found six more ounces!

Time to do that has been eaten up by the iPhone fiasco. I have visited the Verizon store three different times (totalling hours), tried for many more hours at home, went to my neighbor's (to use her phone and internet) to call Verizon Tech Support, and today I'm going back to the Apple Store for the second and hopefully last time to see if we can finally get my old iPhone (which has been clearly identified as the problem) to transfer to my new iPhone. Talk about an exercise in patience!

Between all that and the weather (wet again and colder), the horses haven't gotten out much and I've only gotten another ride or two in on Stella, who is getting pretty edgy from lack of exercise. The sheep have had to stay in more, too, so yesterday morning after chores I took advantage of the opportunity to compare Blossom's and Bethany's fleeces. I've committed to selling one of them with Boop and Bonnie unless the buyer falls in love with a non-grey available sheep when she comes on the 16th. After looking at fleeces, several of the girls pushed for attention, and I got photos of a few.

Poppy got to visit her sister Penny (and Penny's cat Little), always exciting, last Sunday. Because of the weather they mostly interacted inside. Poppy conked out when we got home!

I really can't complain much about our weather if I think about what my cousins have been/are dealing with in White Horse (The Yukon Territories) and Juneau (Alaska). Cold like I can't even imagine in the former (-50C and worse – do the math!!!) and dangerous amounts of snow in the latter. So far their animals and structures have survived with my cousins' efforts; we all come from tough stock.

Well, I guess I need to gather up my stuff (old and new phones, laptop, and a spindle to keep me busy) and head the hour north to the nearest Apple Store. Hopefully I'll get home in time to cook supper tonight....

That's it for now from . . .

Runaway, by Alice Munro

Braiding Sweetgrass, by Robin Wall Kimmerer

Friends and Strangers, by J. Courtney Sullivan

Song Yet Sung, by James McBride

Oliver Twist, by Charles Dickens

Saints for All Occasions, by J. Courtney Sullivan

A Mystery of Mysteries, by Mark Dawidziak

The Sherlockian, by Graham Moore

The Cliffs, by J. Courtney Sullivan

Fools and Mortals, by Bernard Cornwell

The Holdout, by Graham Moore

Secrets from the Past, by Barbara Taylor Bradford

Everything She Touched, by Marilyn Chase

Silverview, by John le Carré

The Last Days of Night, by Graham Moore

Away, by Amy Bloom

Home Front, by Kristin Hannah

Missoula, by Jon Krakauer

When All Is Said, by Anne Griffin

Three Cups of Deceit, by Jon Krakauer

Lonesome Dove, by Larry McMurtry

When Prophecy Fails, by Leon Festinger, Henry W. Riecken, Stanley Schachter

The Day That Went Missing, by Richard Beard

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek, by Kim Michele Richardson

In Love, by Amy Bloom

The More the Terrier, by David Rosenfelt

The Beet Queen, by Louise Erdrich

The Mighty Red, by Louise Erdrich

The Birchbark House, by Louise Erdrich

Maybe Not, by Colleen Hoover

One Hundred Years of Solitude, by Gabriel García Márquez

Misfit, by Gary Gulman

Under the Banner of Heaven, by Jon Krakauer

Wolf Hall, by Hilary Mantel

The Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse, by Louise Erdrich

My Brilliant Friend, by Elena Ferrante

The Story of a New Name, by Elena Ferrante

Prodigal Summer, by Barbara Kingsolver

Truth & Beauty, by Ann Patchett

The Summer Before the War, by Helen Simonson

The Story of the Lost Child, by Elena Ferrante

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand, by Helen Simonson

The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club, by Helen Simonson

The Wondeer of It All, by Barbara Taylor Bradford

It Didn't Start with You, by Mark Wolynn

Talking to Strangers, by Malcolm Gladwell

The Nickel Boys, by Colson Whitehead

Homegoing, by Yada Gyasi

Sag Harbor, by Colson Whitehead

To the Bright Edge of the World, by Eowyn Ivey

The Boys in the Boat, by Daniel James Brown

The Financial Lives of the Poets, by Jess Walter

I Only Read Murder, by Will Ferguson, Ian Ferguson

Slammed, by Colleen Hoover

Love in Tandem, by Becca Kinzer

Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay, by Elena Ferrante

Ever Constant, by M.L. Stedman

Meet Me at the Starlight, by Rachel Hauck

The Last Exchange, by Charles Martin

My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry, by Fredrik Backman

Dog Gone, by Pauls Toutonghi

And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer, by Fredrik Backman

Something Lost, Something Gained, by Hillary Rodham Clinton

Calling for a Blanket Dance, by Oscar Hokeah

Britt-Marie Was Here, by Fredrik Backman

Facing the Mountain, by Daniel James Brown

The Deal of a Lifetime, by Fredrik Backman

Maybe Next Time, by Cesca Major

Agent Running in the Field, by John le Carré

American Lightning, by Howard Blum

The Gold in These Hills, by Joanne Bischoff

Deacon King Kong, by James McBride

Still Life, by Louise Penny

Breakfast of Champions, by Kurt Vonnegut

A Fatal Grace, by Louise Penny

Animal Farm, by George Orwell

The Wives, by Tarryn Fisher

The Bomber Mafia, by Malcolm  Gladwell

Come Fly the World, by Julia Cooke

The Kamogawa Food Detectives, by Hisashi Kashiwai

Remarkably Bright Creatures, by Shelby Van Pelt

Teddy, by Emily Dunlay

Tamarack County, by William Kent Krueger

American Dirt, by Jeanine Cummins

The Lost and Found Bookshop, by Susan Wiggs

The Cruelest Month, by Louise Penny

The Oysterville Sewing Circle, by Susan Wiggs

A Week in Winter, by Maeve Binchy

Whitethorn Woods, by Maeve Binchy

Beartown, by Fredrik Backman

A Rule Against Murder, by Louise Penny

Heart and Soul, by Maeve Binchy

Minding Frankie, by Maeve Binchy

Chestnut Street, by Maeve Binchy

In the Unlikely Event, by Judy Blume

A Few of the Girls, by Maeve Binchy

My Name is Lucy Barton, by Elizabeth Strout

Map of the Heart, by Susan Wiggs

Anything is Possible, by Elizabeth Strout

Sugar and Salt, by Susan Wiggs

Eligible, by Curtis Sittenfeld

Us Against You, by Fredrik Backman

Don't Skip Out on Me, by Willy Vlautin

The Last House on the Street, by Dianne Chamberlain

The Midwife's Confession, by Diane Chamberlain

You Think It, I'll Say It, by Curtis Sittenfeld

The Stolen Marriage, by Diane Chamberlain

Things My Son Needs to Know about the World, by Fredrik Backman

Amazing Grace Adams, by Fran Littlewood

Tolkein's Ordinary Virtues, by Mark Eddy Smith

The Virgin Blue, by Tracy Chevalier

The Last Runaway, by Tracy Chevalier

Windigo Island, by William Kent Krueger

The Lies We Told, by Diane Chamberlain

Clock Dance, by Anne Tyler

The Bay at Midnight, by Diane Chamberlain

Rescue Road, by Peter Zheutlin

Big Lies in a Small Town, by Diane Chamberlain

The Brutal Telling, by Louise Penny

The Dream Daughter, by Diane Chamberlain

Pretending to Dance, by Diane Chamberlain

The Restaurant of Lost Recipes, by Hisashi Kashiwai

Cakewalk, by Rita Name Brown

The Silent Sister, by Diane Chamberlain

Healing Wounds, by Diane Carlson Evans, Bob Welch

Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies, by Catherine Mack

Family Tree, by Susan Wiggs

Wifey, by Judy Blume

We Begin at the End, by Chris Whitaker

Home Before Morning, by Lynda Van Devanter

Necessary Lies, by Diane Chamberlain

Manitou Canyon, by William Kent Krueger

Sulfur Springs, by William Kent Krueger

Bury Your Dead, by Louise Penny

A Trick of the Light, by Louise Penny

The Beautiful Mystery, by Louise Penny

The Hangman, by Louise Penny

The Hemingses of Monticello, by Annette Gordon-Reed

Between You and Me, by Susan Wiggs

Rules of Civility, by Amor Towles

Five Days, by Wes Moore, Erica L. Green

Gallows Thief, by Bernard Cornwell

The Master Plan, by Chris Wilson, Bret Witter

The Lost Apothecary, by Sarah Penner

Alexander Hamilton, by Ron Chernow

How the Light Gets In, by Louise Penny

The Long Way Home, by Louise Penny

The Nature of the Beast, by Louise Penny

A Great Reckoning, by Louise Penny

Glass Houses, by Louise Penny

The Correspondent, by Virginia Evans

Desolation Mountain, by William Kent Krueger

Lightning Strike, by William Kent Krueger

Kingdom of the Blind, by Louise Penny

A Better Man, by Louise Penny

That's it for 2025 from . . .