Out on the farm we have to rely on each other. A few weeks ago we had a tornado out here in Tonopah. We lost some awnings and a tree but all of us were ok. After the storm we started looking around at the damage and saw these two out for a stroll. Looked like they were reassuring each other. Nothing like good friends and neighbors at a time like that!
Posted: August 10th, 2010 under Chile Acres.
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On Monday we went to visit Robbin Robinson and her Churro Sheep Flock in order to select a ram for our ewes. Robbin taught us about fiber details and confirmation faults and so much more! She is an amazing woman and shepherdess. We picked our new boy (the shy one peeking over his brother’s back) and enjoyed his bleating back down the hill from Leupp, AZ. When we arrived at home we were a little aprehensive about how his new roomate Manny might feel about him–but no worries. By that evening they were eating out of the same food trough like two old friends.
We have been joking about names for his offspring staying in the musical realm. “She–bop, Bah-bah-ran…”
Posted: July 21st, 2010 under Chile Acres.
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No, this isn’t exactly soup. Unless you like fuzzy soup and lanolin. This is stage one of processing the wool from the sheep. With the temp outside soaring around 110 degrees we decided to process a batch on our concrete porch and utilize the solar energy Arizona should be famous for. After several heatings and rinsings we should be ready to card this batch to try a new kind of felting for rugs. We hope to have some nice layered and appliqued felt rugs by the fall.
Posted: June 9th, 2010 under Chile Acres.
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The Metropolitan Youth Symphony had their last concert this week at the Ikeda Theater in Mesa. For a paltry sum of just $5 per person Jimmie and I had over 2 hours of sublime music. If we hadn’t seen how short and tiny the musicians from 3rd grade up were in stature we would never have believed that this was a youth symphony. Even the prelude to the concert of “fiddlers” playing western themed music was delightful. Mr. and Mrs. Arriola invited us to attend the concert in which their son Peter (who shares a birthday and love of the violin with Celia) played. We met the delightful family at the Farmer’s Market several years ago.
With so many school districts cutting music programs and the arts this is an oasis of culture for youngsters.
Kudos to the parents and Kudos to Peter and the other musicians for their hours of dedication and disciplined practice. We are proud of you Peter!!!!
If you didn’t know about this wonderful opportunity for kids and for your family to enjoy a splendid evening of music now you do! Visit www.azmys.orgto find out more. Also, if you shop at Amazon.com you can go through the mys site to do so and the organization recieves 10% referral fees for this worthy cause of supporting arts and our youth!
Posted: April 28th, 2010 under Chile Acres.
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Is it a bird, a plane, or is it super goat? How about just running and jumping for joy? I am trying to bottle this enthusiasm for future use. I think everyone needs to spend some time watching goats play in the pasture and take a big breath. Our friend John and his wife Caroline came out to do that a while back and here is what John caught on film.
Talulah was queen of the log that day. I must add that it was a brief reign since there were quite a few incumbents trying to dethrone her:)
Posted: April 27th, 2010 under Chile Acres.
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Our friend Karl had an Easter Brunch and bonnets were required. I figured that it would be no problem to create some sort of bonnet for each of us.
We slept in that Sunday morning–clear up to 6:00 a.m. No problem. Lots of time to feed the critters and still come up with fun bonnets for each of us…
Then we went out to the barn. The baby goats had decided that the grass is greener on the other side, or in this case the weeds are, and they were out in the desert. Several had realized that their moms had not followed them and were beginning to get a little anxious. It was loud and not exactly the kind of hallelujah chorus one has in mind for an Easter Sunday.
One of life’s little mysteries is: “How come an escaped animal can not go back in the way they came out?”
So now we are out of time and running late. I can’t find the hot glue gun sticks and I am feeling more harried than creative. I grabbed Jimmie’s old straw hat and took some nesting materials and some little eggs (when hens lay their first eggs they are tiny and cute) and some duct tape and turned him into the Chicken Man. Then a trip into the bathroom to fix my face and I realized that the fake vines that I put around the top of the bathroom wall could wrap around a straw bonnet that my sister-in-law had given me. I took a little lamb out of a flower arrangement from a few years back and shoved it into the ribbon on the brim. Figured that was “Easter-ish”.
So Easter Brunch was saved and all had a good time. The baby kids were where they belonged when we returned home:)
Posted: April 19th, 2010 under Chile Acres.
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Ingredients:
6 boiled potatoes
1 bunch chopped green onions
2 seeded and finely chopped chili peppers (Chile Acres Farms has some of the best heirloom types)
8 oz Barn Goddess Goat Feta or Fromage Blanc
Salt and Pepper to taste
4 cloves of finely chopped garlic
Procedure:
Slice potatoes 1/2 inch thick and gently toss in a bowl with all of the ingredients. Place in a greased casserole dish and bake at 350 degrees until bubbly and brown on top. Garnish with chopped chives. You can add bacon or ham chunks if you prefer. Just don’ t tell Priscilla our pig about it:)
Posted: April 15th, 2010 under Barn Goddess Goat Cheese Products, Chile Acres, Recipes.
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O.K. I am officially warped! That is the rug is warped –and finished. Caroline and John Wise introduced me to Navajo Weaving classes over a year ago and I must admit it has become a seductive form of meditation for me. Our friend Pat is a wonderful wood worker and in exchange for a handmade loom(with carved feet and exquisite wood) I made him the first rug off of the loom. It took nearly a year since those of you that know how busy our farm is can appreciate. The bear in the rug is for Pat’s wife, Sharon, who loves all things bearish.
Don’t worry that I will regain my sanity any time soon. I am still warped. The next rug is up on the loom! I am going to challange myself with a pictorial of a sunset in the desert complete with sheep. Of course the girls are providing the wool from our farm for the rug:)
Posted: April 15th, 2010 under Chile Acres.
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Mona, aka, ‘Shutterbug’ the clown from aps took this picture of Rhainnon last week during a farm visit. You have to wonder what the ewe thought of you, Mona:)
Posted: March 9th, 2010 under Chile Acres.
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Meet Jim from APS. He and his buddies which you will meet shortly in this blog came over for a farm visit. Now if you look closely you will see how we recycle our wine bottles!
Posted: March 9th, 2010 under Chile Acres.
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