Muncy's Mohair

Spring! not quite. . . . .

2010-02-08T17:35:00.000-08:00

January is now gone, and we are into our second month. I am baffled, because there is still 24 hours in each day. Life is really a vapor. (James 4:14)
It was a nice day. Not beautiful, but the Sun came out in snips and I went out in my shirtsleeves, so it was a nice day.
The does are all starting to "bloom" with new life within. I always look forward to spring, it truly is a new start. But I must remember that Each Day is a new start and not get ahead of myself.
The snow is mostly gone now, just in the shady spots and under the hay that the goats manage to conveniently drop on the ground. They are so good at doing that, as they run from feeder to feeder thinking that someone else must be better. I just made 2 more feeders, so in the doe barn area, there is actually 2 does per feeder, you would think that would be enough. We will see. And they have 2 other 10' wall feeders, which only 1 can eat at, at a time. Because the pigs, run back and fourth keeping anyone else from eating there. Sometimes I wounder "what in the world am I doing this for"? Then I go out and sit on a rock and they come over (looking for food no doubt) I think that they want to be by me. Maybe they do. I know Lil does and probably Spice. Then Lucy lets me scratch her for the first time in months and again I think, what is your angle? But it really is all worth it. Especially in about 1 1/2 months when the kids arrive.
And when I get my hands on the silky, shiny, soft incredibly luscious fiber. When it goes from greasy brown, to lustrous white, that is so beautiful its hard to believe that it came from a goat. Or the black that is so black it looks blue. That makes it all worth it.
The other day I was sitting on the front porch petting Bailey, and commenting to her that she was rather lazy, not really paying attention to the goats like "I thought" she should. And on and on. She was just laying her head on my leg and lapping up all the attention, when one of the bucks snorted, and my lazy good for nothing dog, whirled around and came alive, to do what she is bred to do. GUARD! I don't know why I doubt her, she really is good at what she does. There instinct is so strong. A friend said "how did you train her", I said" I didn't, that is what they do". When we had sled dogs, is was the same way, the really good ones just run. That is what they do and they love it.

Last Day

2009-12-31T12:57:00.000-08:00

Well it really is the last day of 2009. I leave the year with sadness, that I didn't accomplish more,
but gladness for a New beginning. Even tho, its really just another day its fun to think of a new start. I don't make new years resolutions anymore, cause I just get frustrated when I don't keep them. Each day is a fresh start, a new beginning, with no mistakes in it (Anne of Green Gables). I love that movie, so sad and happy all at the same time.
Patrick goes back to OK. for the remainder of basic, then on to Alabama for AIT. It was good to have him home for Christmas. We had everyone here, it was great. The grandkids are so much fun. Brody 10yrs, Gabriel 6yrs, & Ailsa Mae 4yrs. We were able to sled our hill on Christmas day. There was no snow just down the road, but all you have to do it head up our way and all that changes. The kids big & small had great fun. All was going well till I did a flying leap on the 4-wheeler and came down and jammed by shoulder, Yipee. So after a visit to ER and then to an Orthopedic surgeon, it will just have to heal. . . . .
Well Good-Bye to 2009 and all that happened, good & bad. Hopefully we can learn from both~
*Happy New Year*

Just Beginning!

2009-10-27T08:40:00.000-07:00

I woke up this morning and guess what? Yep, white stuff. And still snowing. I am hoping it won't amount to much. I still have to many things to do outside, but am mostly done. If you know anything about our area, you will know that Pumpkin Ridge Road gets all the snow in NE Oregon. Yes we are blessed with feet, drifts, piles and whatever other description you want to give it. But the grand kids love it and you can step out our backdoor, go out 10 feet, get out the sled and have fun. So you don't have to drive to the mountains to sled! We also have a fun place to snowshoe. I bought some "bright orange" plastic snowshoes a few years ago and decided to try it. Its alot of fun and great exercise as well. Everything is so quiet.
Last winter, when I went out to do chores if I was able to just throw the hay over the fence without it blowing back into my face and hope the goats got it, I was happy. I am confident this year will be better????? I realize that the winters are not what they used to be according to the old timers, or even people my age who have live here all their lives. We have lived in NE Oregon for 28 years, and have seen some pretty interesting weather. Last year Al went out in the back yard and built an igloo for the grand kids, you could even stand up, they loved it. Pretty cool. Will keep updates on the weather.

Already Fall !!

2009-10-21T09:00:00.000-07:00

Time has such a way of getting away from me. I was determined to keep up with this blog. Oh well, what can I say. Actually a lot has happened since I last took time to do this. On the 12th of October Al and I took Patrick our son down to Boise to fly out for Basic Training for the Army. He was suppose to fly to Ft. Jackson, S. Carolina but instead they sent him to Ft. Sill, Oklahoma. Which is quite a coincidence because that is where Al was stationed in the Army. But maybe there aren't that many boot camps, I dunno. So he is in for quite an adventure. It was what he wanted to do and so we are going to support that. Patrick just turned 29 in Sept. so will probably be the "old man". He got most everything tied up before he left, we just need to sell his car and mobile home. All his worldly goods are sitting in the cargo trailer he got before he left. Prayers gladly excepted.
To regress a few weeks before that, Molly and I and some friends set out for Oregon Flock and Fiber(OFF) in Canby, Ore. Its an annual thing we do, we have a blast. This is our 2nd year that we have had a booth, so we are officially vendors, hocking our wares! Raw fiber, yarn, finished products and everything in~between. Molly sells the angora rabbit, and sheep part and I do the angora goat thing. We also have friends that bring there wares as well, mostly rabbit wares. Carrie made the most luscious hats, out of bunny, some were felted and she had one that was a baby hat. It was baby bunny hair, OHHH talk about soft. NO, you don't have to terminate the bunny to get the hair. You just shear them. Mim brought her yarn she had spun and dyed it was wonderful. We had such a good time. Lots of laughs and fun, just the girls.
There is so much to see and I mean so much I didn't even get to go around to all the booths. Eye candy galore. To top it all off Molly and I took some animals to show. I took 3 goats and Molly took her one ewe. We made out like bandits~ We basically pulled the animals off the pasture and took them over. Molly's Icelandic ewe got 1st place in her class and also Judges Choice fiber, WOW what a Coup! Sue took a doe kid and got 1st place(out of 14), and a yearling who got 4th place(out of 14 & she only had 4 month hair growth), last was my 4 yr old doe who took 1st place and Res. Ch. We were very happy and excited. It was fun to see how our little country bumpkins did. Maybe the last time I do that, it was lot of work. But quite rewarding altogether.
Next year I hope to have more finished product to sell. You never know what people are looking for. This year must have been the year for "chunky yarn" we sold out of that and wished we had more. Who knows what next year will bring~
All the does are with the bucks now, so hopefully we will have a plethora or colored babies next spring. That is a fun but intense time of year. Always glad when the does have safely kidded and all is well. If most of the does twin I will have Oodles of kids running around. Well Oodles for me.
Well I am going to go to Milton~Freewater this week and get boxes of apples for eating and canning. You can buy a 40 lb box of apples for $7.00 and all you want. So I just drive over the hill and do that little thing. We always get Fuji's as they are the "best". I will get apples for others too. So I need to go and call them and then make other arrangements.
Till next time then, Blessings to all.
Sue

First things First

2009-08-16T17:58:00.000-07:00

I guess I should introduce myself. Sue Muncy is my name. I am a middle aged gal, who lives in a Wonderful corner of North East Oregon.
We have a great place, secluded yet not to far out from civilization. I can come home from work, (which happens to be keeping the local Hospital
linen clean) and relax to a quiet peaceful farm. I raise & love colored and white angora goats. That is all I choose to have at this time in my life. They are
enough to keep me quite busy, especially at shearing & kidding time. They give me oodles of luscious, soft, delicious fiber for spinning, selling and just playing
with. I must add as well that I have a wonderful husband who has been with me through thick and thin for almost 34 years. He is my joy and delight and I
can't think of anyone who I would rather be with, unless its my grand kids (I will get to them later).

We both work at the Hospital, Al takes care of the maintenance part and I do the laundry, with the help of my co-workers. Its a fun place to work,
and it really does not seem like work at all to me. Where can you go and do laundry and get paid for it? I only work part time which gives me much
freedom for other things like goats and fiber and my newest hobby spinning. I hate to admit this, but I have had these wonderful creatures for about
7 years now and I have just really learned to spin. I have played with it in the past but in the last 3 months have really gotten serious about it.
Now I can find every excuse to come in and spin.

Well that is all for now as I am just trying to figure out all about this blogging thing, hopefully I can get some pix up too. Aug 16, 2009