First, I want to let you know that I did get the salmon flu.  One morning I hesitated for just a moment before eating my breakfast.  The folks noticed that, took my temperature (it was high), took me to the doctor's, I got a shot and some pills, went home and never missed a meal!!

My brother Matt is visiting.  He's helping with a bunch of chores.  He and Dad took the power line down which provided power to the double-wide.  Yea!!

 Dad found a guy to haul the rusty, crusty away!!  We pay him $2500.  If he gets someone to buy it he'll reimburse us.  Even if we don't get reimbursed, we figure we can't salvage if for that price.  We have just a couple weeks to prep it.  Matt and Mom dismantled the back porch.  Plants have to be moved; the chain link fence will have to be partially taken down. 

 Mom has been taking the front porch apart

Meanwhile the ditch witch rides again!  The guys are digging the down-spout collection system (trench, pipe, etc).  Once that is done, the rest of the dirt pile can be moved and the landscaping can start!

Did you know that I love shoes?!  I love to steal them and leave them throughout the house!  Every morning me and Osker steal Mom's slippers from beside the bed.  Every morning she gets up and has no slippers and has to walk out barefoot and say "where are my slippers?!!"  We wiggle and wag!  It's great fun!  So for Christmas we bought her new slippers with my likeness on them!

 Since there are no more inspectors stopping by, we started working on turning the "unfinished attic/storage" into living and guest room space!  Mom sanded and varnished the beam, has primed, and is painting the one room.

Weather is nice so we decided to trench in the last water line from the storage tank to the new house!


A guy is coming today to see if he can haul the old double-wide away!

Mom started a new craft project that she has been dreaming about for a couple years.  She bought wool from a farmer who raises sheep for meat so it was only $1/lb.  She got 20 lbs in 2 dog food bags!  Fancy sheep wool for sweaters can go for $20 for a half pound.

She washes it, picks it apart, then cards it to get all the fibers going the same direction.

Then she spins 3 bobbins full, and plys them together.  It makes a rustic yarn which still has bits of hay in it!!

The plied yarn amounts to about 45 yards, which is then washed in hot water again to set the twist.  Then she cuts it into little pieces to work into a latch hook rug!  The 45 yards appears to result in 3" of the rug!!  Wonder if it will take longer to make a rug than it took to build a house??

 

The chickens have been staring inside.  They want the same rights as Me and Osker, that is, free run of the house.  They have been consistently laying 1-2 eggs per day all through winter, they don't eat much store bought feed, they're free-range, organic, and they know their eggs are going for $4.00/doz!!!  As you can imagine, I'm not into sharing my space.