Thanksgivng is Behind Us, The Year is Winding Down

This is Sadie, our new foundling barn cat.  The Sunday before Thanksgiving as Sam and I were walking the dogs in the afternoon, we found her dumped along the side of the road.  I heard a meow, and looked over the bank above the hayfield and there she was.  How the dogs did not hear her I have no idea, but we kept walking so as not to draw their attention and I returned an hour later after our walk and she was in the same place and came right to me when I called.  The temperature was forecast to drop into the teens that night and she was so skinny and little, I could not leave her.  So she has joined the other barn cats and seems quite happy.  She has put on a lot of weight in a week and half and holds her own at feeding time.
 
 Here are all the cats at morning feeding time.  If you look up in the right hand corner, you can see Road Runner, who was found running the road at the shelter and has been here at least a year and still won't usually come near the food while I am in the barn.  I have petted her a couple times, but she is happier left alone.

Thanksgiving was nice.  All my family was there minus my 2 boys and my nephew, Cody, who is serving in the US Army and is stationed in Colorado right now.  

My sister in law, Jill, and her daughter, Haley, and I all did the Miamisburg 5 mile Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning despite the 20 degree temperature.  It was cold!  But it was sunny and not windy, so it wasn't too bad.  I managed to run/jog most of the 5 miles and finished in 1:00:49, which I thought was quite respectable.  Of course 14 year old Haley left Jill and me in the dust.  

I always bake apple pies to take to Mom's for Thanksgiving, and this year I did an apple pie and a butternut/acorn squash pie.  I had a small piece of the squash pie and it was very good, but hard to tell from pumpkin.  Both pies disappeared fast and I didn't even get any pf the apple.  Usually I end up taking pie home with me.  Not this year, even though there was also pumpkin, apple and pecan someone else had brought.  I did have some of the pecan.  Yummy.

Not much is going on on the farm.  Gun season for deer is in full swing and so the dogs and I have not been going into the woods.  I have been at the office all week so far except Tuesday, so it hasn't even been an issue.  Tomorrow I will stay home, but rain and freezing rain are forecast, so we will be staying in.  I have some preparation to do for the local Christmas Festival, which is Saturday.   This is the festival where local crafters and retailers can set up in the county courthouse and my friend Tari will be set up next to me, so it is usually a lot of fun.  I have to label some alpaca bears and socks, but otherwise I already have the car loaded since I knew it was going to be nasty weatherwise tomorrow.  I have knit a couple pairs of fingerless mitts and a hat to take, but mostly I will have bears and socks and some rugs for sale. I will display some of my yarn, but I do not expect to sell it at this event.  I do sometimes sell a skein or 2, so who knows? I also have some honey and syrup to take, but very little.  I have sold most of it.

 Most of my knitting time is still being spent on Christmas gifts, so no photos.   I have finished my last weaving project (also a gift).  Here is the warp on the loom.  I am looking forward to being able to knit for myself again and have a lot of projects in mind.  Plus, I still have to spin lots of alpaca for the blanket I hope to weave sometime in 2014.

Buck and Star are doing their job watching over the alpacas.