Walking Wounded

This is Agatha, the worst of of yesterday's walking wounded. See her ace bandage poking out from beneath her wing? She seems to kind of like it, which is good because she needs it. She's got deep puncture wounds on either side of her sternum and her tail is half chewed off. I was afraid of what I might find when I took off yesterday's bandages but her wounds look good (you know, for wounds.) She's dozing here but a few seconds after I snapped this shot Max (my German Shepherd) walked across her field of vision behind me and her eyes snapped open. All the girls are on house arrest until we figure out how to manage the fox threat. 

Fiber Retreat! Come One, Come All!

OK, I've officially got BIG NEWS! I've been asked to be the presenter at the Fibers of Faith Retreat at Singing Hills Christian Conference Center. This retreat is going to be awesome! I know because I'm planning a lot of it. I mean, seriously, if you're into fiber what could possibly be better than going to a lovely location and doing nothing but playing, praying, and praising??? If you throw in a couple of bunnies you've pretty much got my idea of heaven.

If you want to curl up in a corner and do nothing but beaver away on a sweater or lace shawl you can certainly do that, but if you want to play with me here are a few of the toys I'll be bringing with me and demoing on:

Carding: I'll have my Fancy Kitty drum carder and I'll show you how to make fancy-schmancy art batts that you can then . . .

Drop Spinning: . . . use to spin some yarn on a drop spindle. It's easy; I'll show you how! Or . . .

Spinning: . . . on a real wheel. I'll be bringing my workhorse wheel, a Kromski Sonata as well as the wheel I spin a lot of my angora on which is probably the most standard wheel since your mother was a pup, an Ashford Traditional. I'll teach traditional spinning techniques as well as demoing a couple of art yarns, probably corespinning and tailspinning. If you want you can use the yarn you make during the . . .

Scarflette Class: . . . during which we'll be making something that's a cross between a scarf and a yarn necklace. Bring your leftover ends from home and/or dig through my stash and/or use the yarn you make during the demos or off-time. There's a $5 materials charge for this class.

Weaving: My 4-harness Dorset loom will also be at the retreat and I'll give a short demo and open it up to anyone who wants to give it a try. The loom will stay set up throughout the retreat so if you don't get a chance to try your hand during the demo time you can play with it whenever you have some free time.

Needle Felting: I'll show you how to make a simple sculptural form and we'll also work on a group project throughout the retreat.

All of my equipment will be available for playing with and practicing on throughout the retreat and I'm happy to answer any questions, or demonstrate any skill I possess (except tap dancing) even if it's not part of the stated curriculum.

I know this is already beyond amazing, but wait! There's more! I'll also be vending on Friday and maybe Sunday morning. I'm planning to bring with me: yarn, stitch markers, art batts, buttons, and roving. Retreat guests will receive a coupon code when they sign up. When you get this code you can get 10% off in my Etsy shop online and free delivery to the retreat if you want to pick it up there. Anyone who purchases something from me during the retreat (Etsy pre-sales count!) will be entered into a drawing to win the scarflette I'll bring as a demo! The art batt I make for the carding demo will also be given away in a random drawing to any participants in the demo.

But wait! There's more! Do you like fiddle music? In the evenings, when you're relaxing, quietly chatting or working on your projects I'll be sitting in a corner providing live entertainment on my fiddle.

And . . . I've been asked to lead out during the praise sings. I'm in the process of choosing songs right now.

So . . . . . . . . . . .  come one, come all! Let's play, and relax, and laugh, and sing, and praise, and pray together for 4 days. Give yourself the gift of some "me" time. Fill your own well so you can go back to your life filled with new ideas, skills, and projects that excite you. To sign up go here. If you register before March 1st you get $10 off!!

Fox Attack

I was standing by the kitchen sink fixing Fergal's food when I saw something, a lot of somethings, drift across the meadow.

"What is that? Ashes?"
"Leaves," Rob said.
"From where?"
"Dunno."
"They don't look like leaves."

A little while later he came in the house. "That stuff in the meadow is chicken feathers. Lots of them."

We couldn't figure out what on earth it was at first. There were feathers from different chickens all over the place. Brown ones, red ones, gray ones. Piles of them. Like the Grim Reaper had danced around the farm butchering. But strangely, no blood.

We found a lot of chewed up hens which I spent the morning doctoring and two dead ones, carried off down the hill by a fox which Rob saw and chased off. We are wondering if there were two of them. How could one fox do so much damage in such short time? Rob said he heard the girls squawking this morning but didn't think anything of it at the time.

I don't know how many of the injured ones will live. One was so bad I had to wrap her in an ace bandage. A couple appear to be in shock. I put stress vitamins in their water and I'm about to make them a stodge of oatmeal, yogurt, and other nourishing things.

I hate to walk outside and see the feathers drift by. They're everywhere.

Belated 4 Year Anniversary Giveaway!

I don’t know about you but giveaways are starting to have so many hoops to jump through that it’s almost not worth the effort. So I thought to celebrate the four years my fiber studio and farm have existed I’d have a simple giveaway.

In order to enter all you have to do is “like” this post on our Spindrift Studio at Reindeer Station Farm page on Facebook. That’s it! You can only enter once, but you can share the love by sharing the post. You get a chance to win these fabulous dryer balls and I get some exposure for my studio/farm. It’s a win-win! If you do decide to share, THANK YOU! Believe me, in this age of information overload I know what I’m asking. While you're on our FB page "like" it if you haven't already. Pretty soon I'll be doing FB-Only specials and goodies.

On March 1, Hamish will choose a winner. I hope it's youuuuuuuuuu!!

Can you believe it was four years ago that I sat spinning some nasty 10-year-old wool by my wood stove, longing for sheep and bunnies? (I never even dreamed as high as an alpaca and llama!) I am in fiber nirvana and I am fully aware of that and appreciate it every day, I truly do. Even when it’s 20-below outside I enjoy taking care of my animals, making sure everyone is as warm as they can be and has food and water. I love watching their fiber grow - okay, so maybe it’s more along the lines of lusting than looking but if you could see how beautiful it is as it grows you’d lust after it too.

Four years ago I didn’t even know where my studio was headed beyond writing. As I look ahead I see more writing. Hopefully not the kind with truly killer deadlines because I’m beginning to realize that it takes me away too much and too often from my own life. (Exciting news on that front very soon.) There will also be teaching because I love to teach. (News soon - hopefully later today - about a fiber retreat I’ll be teaching at. Come play with me!) There will be art of all kinds because I can’t seem to limit myself to a single medium. (And why should I?) There will be sales of vintage finds because I can’t help carting home with me items that I know have beauty and life in them beyond what others see. There will be bunny hugging because, honestly, what’s a Monday (or a Tuesday, or a Wednesday) without a bunny hug? And there will be sparkle because it makes me happy. Good times ahead. I hope you’ll join me.

So, about the giveaway. You’ll get three felted wool dryer balls and this snazzy bag to keep them in when you’re not using them. It’s plenty big in case you get, or make, more. Keep reading for a description and may the odds ever be in your favor.

“What Are Felted Wool Dryer Balls – And Why Do You Want Them? 

Instead of loading your laundry – that soft, precious fabric that touches your skin every day – with stinky chemicals that are in dryer sheets, these felted wool dryer balls will do the same job in less time. 

In a nutshell: The wool soaks up some of the moisture in your laundry as it dries, but then evenly distributes it into the air – helping your dryer stay humid longer, which exponentially reduces static cling. In addition, this “soaking and releasing” action makes your clothes dry faster. And all of these things together mean fewer wrinkles. And if you sprinkle a few drops of essential oil on them before using you’ll scent your laundry too. 

Best of all, they’ll last up to 5 years. That’s 5 years without having to worry a single bit about static, dryer sheets, wrinkles, buying supplies, and failed presidential debates (you shouldn’t ever worry about that last thing, anyway).” ~ Crunchy Betty

(This is where I learned how to make them, but I actually adapted her process because I wanted mine to be heavier and denser than what this process would produce. I both needle and nuno felted mine. But if you don’t win - or you simply fall so in love with these you want more and want to make them yourself - there you go. If you want some nice, dense ones like mine, or you don’t want to make your own, I’ll have more up in the shop. If you make them Betty’s way you can make quite a lot in a short time. Mine take a lot longer. But I’m biased; I like mine better.)

On The Bobbin

From today's photo shoot. Art yarn I started this morning. Merino/tencel with cocoons of sari silk and angelina. Oh my.

Play Well With Others

Hear Ye, Hear Ye . . .

 . . . if you have tried to make a comment on this blog in the last year or so you've probably been prevented, or had to jump through hoops to do it. That's because I got very rudely flamed over some pictures I posted of puppets my son made. It was very upsetting to both him and me. He hadn't even particularly wanted me to post them so he was doubly wronged when they were criticized for not being "Christian" when they weren't meant to be particularly Christian. They were his own imaginings.

I didn't make a big deal about it at the time. My mother taught me that if you don't have anything nice to say you should keep your mouth shut. Apparently I learned that lesson better than my flamers did. I only mention it now because the blog is gearing up to be a little more active and I've changed the comment setting.  I'll be moderating comments but unless the flamers return all comments should post. So please feel free to comment, just also remember to play well with others.

I was so upset and hurt I removed the offending pictures at the time but I don't plan to remove anything further. This blog is about my art and my books and my animals and my life. I'm a Christian. I won't apologize for that - either for being one or for not meeting someone's expectations of what they think a Christian should be. I may mention God in this blog. I may not. If you want to know my thoughts on God, or Christianity and being a Christian, please feel free to ask me, or read one of the 17 books I've written so far on the subject, or one of the thousands of articles and stories I've published. I don't intend to use this space for proselytizing but if my beliefs show I won't apologize for that either. Take me or leave me but please refrain from flaming me. It ruins a perfectly good day.

So, with that said, let the games begin! On Wednesday, only one month late (!), I'm going to post the anniversary giveaway so be sure to check back for that. Also, FB only and Blog only goodies will start soon so be sure you are a follower of both the blog and the studio/farm page on Facebook. To do that go here. I won't be cross-posting goodies. I'm looking for 1,000 FB followers and then I'm having a really awesome giveaway. And I mean REALLY awesome. Don't miss out on the fun!!

That Sheep Will be The Death of Me Yet

Brontë's got it in for me. One day you'll find me face down in the pasture with just one small cloven hoof print on my back.

Brontë is my Icelandic sheep. She's really more like a goat with wool. She's the most inquisitive, the most pushy, and the most adventurous of all the sheep. When I brought her little self home as a lamb (and when I say lamb let's just be clear that she wasn't all that little at the time - see above) she leaped out of the back of my trusty RAV4 and clocked me under the chin with the top of her hard little head almost knocking out all my teeth. (And so started the migraines I suffer from today.)

I'm not positive it was her, mind you, but the other day I was walking ahead of the sheep with extra hay to put into the mangers and going through the gate someone flattened me from behind. I went down like a ton of bricks and all I saw was a blurry sheep face. But when I gingerly picked myself up off the ice there were only two sheep in the pen: Siobhán and Brontë. And Siobhán is too much of a lady to flatten me.

So there you have it. Accident? I think not. I was lame for a couple days but no permanent damage. This time. Yesterday, after I put the animals into the pasture Brontë walked back to the gate and stood looking up at me (it's sort of a Brontë pose . . . as you can see) as if to shoot the breeze for awhile, maybe inquire after my injuries, assess the damage, survey her handiwork. She assured herself I was still mobile, seemed satisfied, and returned to the flock with a gleam in her eye. Plotting, I imagine, for her next opportunity.

Time to Milk The Almonds

My favorite milk = water, almonds, Vitamix.
Almond milk hot chocolate: almond milk + maple syrup + cocoa = Mmmmmmmm.

Inventory - To Dye or Not to Dye, That is The Question

Working on inventory today to take with me to the upcoming fiber retreat where I'll be teaching and vending. (More details about that later.) This is 140 yards of smooshy fibery lusciousness made from a combination of mohair and angora. I love everything about the character of this yarn. When I get a few skeins done I'm going to dye some and see what happens. What color would you dye this yarn???

One Thing is Clear . . .

 . . . I need more cast iron pots. It's -2 and supper is started. On the woodstove. In the dutch oven we have what will be chicken soup (for the carnivores in the family. I think I'll have kelp noodles today), in the garlic roaster we have garlic. Roasting. For the garlic and asiago rolls, and in the front pot we have blueberries for the blueberry pie because I just found out it's national pie day and we should really take time to celebrate these kinds of things. Shouldn't we? What kind of pie are you having today?

Better Late Than Never?

So this is me, or it would be if I ever had a chance to sit down for five seconds. My life was supposed to get easier and slower once I finished the book I was writing. Except that I forgot to take into account that the State of Vermont wants my Sales and Use Tax this week and because I was so busy writing the book I didn't record a single receipt, check, etc. So essentially I have to prepare my taxes like NOW instead of getting to wait until April like everyone else in order to get them the information - and money - they want.

Sooooooo.....I have a giveaway to do but I don't have time even to take pictures for it. And I wanted to do it yesterday. Because yesterday was a very important day. It marked the 4th year Reindeer Station Farm has been in existence. At least as an idea. On this day (yesterday) 4 years ago I sat spinning by my wood stove on a drop spindle with some 10 year old wool. It was nasty stuff, but I fell in love and decided I wanted my own sheep. The rest is history. But we're here and every day I get to play with my animals (or at least feed them and take care of them.) And that's a big accomplishment for me. Making art with their fiber is just a bonus (but a really great one.)

Bear with me, I AM trying. I have such big news (someone is coming to a fiber retreat near you, hint, hint.) Awesome new projects (scrimshaw even!) Cutie pix of animals. Wisdom from Hamish. News about Fergal. A new site to launch. But right now I am wrestling with deadline dragons. Hopefully I will vanquish them soon. I could use the break.

Merry (Belated) Christmas from Reindeer Station Farm

Hamish had some big bunny slippers to fill to do this year's promotional photo shoot but he bunnied up and was a sport about it. He was actually a bit of a natural although I heard him complain that the whole process was just one step above breading. Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year from all the critters here at Reindeer Station Farm. Best wishes for health, happiness, and creativity in the year(s) to come!

Mama Céleste's Cure For Feeling Puny

When I edited Listen Magazine, our art director, Bill Kirstein, used to call having a cold "feeling puny." Since this is the time of year when many of us are feeling "puny" I thought I'd share my cure: Garlic Soup. I just made some of this for my MIL who is sick and it smelled so good I made another batch for my own lunch. I'm not feeling puny but it doesn't hurt to be prepared. Whopping cough is going around these parts. This recipe is pretty flexible. Add what you want and take out what you don't like. But the part that needs to stay the same is you use an entire head of garlic. You heard me. Man up. A whole head. Tip: to make it easier to peel the garlic, put the head of garlic in a towel. Gather it up so you have the garlic contained in the bottom as if you're carrying it in a bag and thump it on the counter a few times. That will peel some of the cloves for you and loosen up the skin on the others. You're welcome. So here you go . . . not only will this scare away cold germs but no one else will want to be around you either so don't indulge before a date.

Garlic Soup

2 cups of water

1 head of garlic, cloves sliced into this rounds

Chunk of vegetable bouillon the size of a pea

1 Tbs nutritional yeast

Generous pinch of sea salt

1 tsp - 1 Tbs red pepper flakes (optional but great)

1 scallion, chopped (optional but also nice)

Noodles from one packet of Ramen (optional but if you're squeamish about the garlic or want more of a meal soup rather than a broth these are nice. Discard the flavor packet. Or use a different kind of noodle.)

1 Tbs miso (any kind)

Boil everything but the noodles and miso until the garlic is tender. Add more water if you need to. Add noodles and cook until done. Remove from heat and add miso. Ta-da! Run, run, little cold germs. The garlic is coming to get you. Bwahaha . . .

In other news I'm struggling to get my life back under control after turning in the book the day before the deadline (yay!). There should soon be news of animals and new projects and Etsy listings (yay!). But please bear with me; I've been letting everything not essential slide while I worked on the book and it's going to take me awhile to whip it back into shape. An important event is happening in 12 days though . . . do you remember what? Am crossing my fingers for a sale or giveaway or some such to celebrate.

* Bowl by Patty Herzfeld (it's my favorite!) http://www.herzfeldstudios.com/patty.php

Saving Peter Rabbit

Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cotton-tail

Peter, of course.

Awwww, aren't they the cutest little things? 

Guess who's come to visit at Reindeer Station Farm? Here's a hint . . . 

Once upon a time there were four little Rabbits, and their names were Flopsy, Mopsy, Cotton-tail, and Peter. They lived with their Mother in a sand-bank, underneath the root of a very big fir-tree.

Actually, I'm not sure where they lived. I think it was a field. And Mother Rabbit had an accident so one of the girls who works at my vet's took these little guys in and has been raising them. Only, she was going on vacation and needed a bunny-sitter. Which is how I happen to be surviving on only two hours of sleep at a stretch at the moment so this will be brief. Beatrix Potter never mentioned that Peter was the runt of the litter and has special needs. But he lives up to his namesake by being a bit of a loner. You can usually find the others cuddled up together, but you've got to go hunting for Peter. I'll try to post some more pictures as they grow a little. I think they will be here for about a week. 

Interesting, barely related tidbit my exhausted, sleep deprived brain has just spit up . . . my first bunny ever was a wild rabbit someone tamed. It kept escaping to come visit our bunnies so finally my parents just kept her. I called her Honey Bunny (I'm much more original nowadays.) I loved that rabbit.

The Cute and The Fluffy

This is Tarquin. Yes, there is a rabbit under all the cuteness. I know, I know, he looks a bit like Twisk. It's been a great comfort to me though the reason he's here is very sad. Tarquin and Grainne (Graw-nya) a red French Angora doe came to live on the farm because their owner passed away. Tarkie is a sweetie who lets me cuddle him like a baby . . . remind you of anyone??? Grainne is his exact opposite. I have to wear gloves and move fast when I need to get in her cage. She attacks me and has bitten me several times though with the gloves she can't do much damage. All that rigorous training St. John has given me in bite avoidance maneuvers is coming in handy. That's precisely why Grainne is here . . . her owner wanted her cared for by someone with experience, who would know how to handle her. That's probably the first time I've had a reason to be glad about St. John's disposition. On the positive side, did I say she was red? Grainne makes Reindeer Station Farm officially patriotic, the home of red, white, and blue rabbits! There may be a yarn in that, a three-ply red, white, and blue yarn. Hmmmm . . . will have to give that some thought.

Next time . . . even more cuteness. I have finally gotten close enough to the fawns to snap pix of them together. They are up and romping around the meadow. The UPS man wanted to know if I was raising deer. Well, this is ReinDEER Station Farm . . . But that will have to wait until next time, when I can see straight. I have been writing all day trying to catch up on my quota which was derailed for a bit by Tarquin and Grainne. And even later I may explore some Beatrix Potter art which I have been gorging on like a starved wildebeest. If I do not find time to sit down and play with my paints soon I shall not be responsible for my actions.

This will not surprise anyone who knows me, but incidentally their names weren't Tarquin and Grainne when they came here. They were called Christopher Robin and Pepper. Which got me to thinking . . . there's not a beast on the place who has their original name unless they were born here. And when I finish writing my current book I think I'll hold a contest to see if anyone out there can match everyone's original name with the name I gave them. Gotta think of some awesome prizes . . .

I Found Some Words

I just wanted to say thanks to all the folks who have expressed their sympathy in the loss of Twisk. Everyone has been so nice, but I know a lot of people who've seen my swollen eyes today wonder what on earth could be so upsetting about losing a rabbit, especially since I have a bunch of them. So I'd like to take a minute to correct the perception of rabbits as pets. In the process I'll get to talk about what made Twisk so special which is about all I can think about today anyway.

Twisk was special, first of all, because he was born here. He was the only Reindeer Station Farm bunny and so he was the face of the farm. Because he was born here I've held him since he was hours old and you could tell the difference because he trusted me completely and I could hold him in silly positions and he didn't mind. I held him so much, in fact, that he was the last of the babies to learn how to hop. Rob finally told me to put him down so he could practice. The funny thing was that I never liked ruby-eyed white rabbits but when I was looking for pictures it was pretty obvious I held him more than all the other babies.

I didn't plan to keep any of Poppet's babies but even though I had a chance to sell Twisk I wouldn't do it. Raising him and his siblings was one of the best experiences of my life. I cried when the others left and swore I was done raising rabbits because it was too hard to let them go. I couldn't do that again. But Twisk stayed and was more like a pet than the other rabbits (except Fergal) and he came upstairs every night to hop around. He and Fergal (and Rachel's bunny Finnoula) were the house bunnies.

People think rabbits have no personality but that's not true. They just have subtle personalities. Twisk had a toy basket and he would play ball or move his toys around if you played with him. Sometimes he'd do it on his own. He loved to yank the slinky around. But his favorite game was Naughty Bunny. He was only allowed in certain parts of the house and he made it his mission to go explore the parts where he wasn't supposed to be. He had an uncanny knack of knowing when a door had been left open and whenever I'd find him somewhere he wasn't supposed to be I'd say, "Naughty bunny!" and "chase" him back down the hall. He'd always act like a kid caught red-handed and he'd tear down the hall, his little bunny slippers kicking up behind him. Some bunnies like to play chase and some don't; Twisk loved it. Lately the front door would get left open sometimes and we started to catch him venturing further and further out of the house. One day I was talking to Rob out by his truck and I noticed something white halfway up the driveway. Wondering what on earth it was I turned to look and saw Twisk. He wasn't in a hurry to go back inside either. He loved to explore. I buried him under the apple tree which is about as far as he ever made it.

Date night will be the hardest. We always watch a movie and Twisk would jump up on the couch with me and drape the front half of his body over me so I could pet him. He loved to cuddle. He was the only rabbit I've ever seen who loved to be held like a baby. Most rabbits don't like the vulnerability of that position. Twisk would actually fall asleep like that. Eventually he'd wake up like all the hounds of hell were on his tail and want to get down.

His first Easter the movie Hop had come out and the bunny on it (played by Twisk in his second movie role; his first was Alice in Wonderland with Johnny Depp) could poop jelly beans. So on Easter Rob set Twisk in the middle of a pile of jelly beans and then brought me over to show me what he'd "done." This was his second Easter playing the Easter bunny. He would have been two in September.

Fergal and Finnoula will really miss him too. He spent half his night hanging out with each of them, stretched out next to their cages. Every night when I gave Finnoula her supper and a papaya tablet I'd put one in my lips and Twisk would give me a "kiss" to get it. I got such a kick out of his papaya kisses that he always got two. I'm going to really miss that.

Those are just a few of the things that made Twisk special and why he leaves such a hole in our lives.

Goodbye My Baby

I always said I didn't like ruby-eyed white rabbits so how one completely stole my heart is beyond me. Twisk, the face of Reindeer Station Farm, died last night the way he lived . . . in my arms. He had a sudden acute case of colic that didn't respond to treatment fast enough to save him. To say I am devastated beyond words is an understatement. Twisk was my baby and he took a huge part of my heart with him when he left. Rob said it best, "He was a part of our family." I'll love him forever. Goodbye my baby.

Technology on the Farm: Looking for a Few Good (Wo)Men

Allrighty boy and girls, I'm about to go all techie on you; stand back. I have to admit, I've spent the last few years trying to get AWAY from technology and back to the simple pleasures of living in real time. I created a serious learning curve for myself which was less than fun to surmount, but I digress. Point is the bunnies have decided that it's time to get with the program. When they found out I got a Kindle Fire (after swearing up and down I'd never read a digital book. Like. Ever.) they started taking turns using it whenever my back is turned. I mean, like seriously, they hide it from each other and someone has nibbled a corner of the jacket, probably St. John. Good thing I got that super-duper screen protector. I think they downloaded Watership Down even though I warned them it had some scary bits in it. They are also very fond of LOTR because they like to imagine they are hobbits.

Anyway, it should be no surprise that they are anxiously awaiting the digital release of a book I co-wrote with Eric Stoffle. I should state now, right here, for the record, that it ends on a cliff-hanger so if you decide to read it get the sequel, Midnight Hour, before you finish and save yourself the kind of knuckle-popping anxiety that people raked me over the coals for when it came out in print and they had to wait years - yes, years! Oh the agony! - for the sequel. You can thank me later.

Anyway, Eleventh Hour is going to be released digitally on March 12 - ta-da! - and we're looking for a few good men - and women, and even bunnies - to give away some pre-release copies to in exchange for an honest review - seriously, dude, you won't hurt our feelings, we can take it, we've got big strong backs from hunching over keyboards every spare second - and post it on Amazon.com or wherever else you like to post reviews of eBooks. So if you want to be one of those people please send me an email at c.perrinowalker@gmail.com and tell me which format you'd like (I think your choices are .mobi or .epub but you'd have to ask Fergal because he's the geek in the house.)

A bunch of my other print books are about to make the leap into technology and become eBooks as well through one of my publishers, Pacific Press. As resistant as I am to change, and technology, this is actually a good thing. People often ask me where they can find some of my earlier work and a lot of it has gone out of print. Now they'll be able to get their hands on it again. Wait, maybe that's not a good thing . . . By the way, may I state, also for the record, no one, and I mean no one, has guessed who the real people were behind the characters in Playing God. No one. But if you'd like to try, you'll soon have the digital opportunity to give it a shot. Ain't technology grand?

Hopping Down the Bunny Trail

You know what is cool about finally having snow??? Seeing bunny tracks!! I've been waiting all winter. When I went out to feed the chickens this morning I noticed someone had been busy so I ran inside, grabbed the camera, and followed him around. I'm working on (working may be a bit of an energetic term since really I'm working on writing for about 16 hours every day...putzing a few minutes here and there might be more accurate) a series of bunny paintings. Yes, folks, I've taken my obsession to the next level. I'm now creating bunny art. And not copied bunny art either (ie., my lovely paintings of Beatrix Potter bunnies) but my own, original creations. My first is a mixed media canvas. I'm still working on it but the background looks like this:

(Can you guess what the background color is made from???)

It's got a bit more on it now because as soon as the background was finished I started building up the layers. I like how it's going so far. But this morning I had an idea to do bunny tracks. I've been thinking someone ought to stamp bunny tracks in metal, maybe for pendants or something. But when I saw them on the ground this morning I knew exactly what I was going to do with that second canvas I got for my two-fer. But you'll just have to wait and see.

After following Peter Cottontail all around the bunny trail he went home. Here:

Bunny M.A.S.H.

I know I'm a lazy poster but it's hard to believe I haven't posted anything to the blog since late November. There's a very good reason for that, however. Several of them. All fluffy. All cute. All sick unto death.

Around Thanksgiving Fergal had an accident. We think he was pulling on the bars of his cage and ripped his jaw ligaments. I won't tell the whole story here (I'm including it in a book I'm working on . . . more details when it's closer to being finished) but let's just say that it was a couple months before I got to sleep longer than 4 hours at a stretch. This picture shows Fergal in his baby bib (courtesy of my nephew Destin) getting ready for one of his every 4 hour round the clock feedings. He did really well. He still needs feeding at times,when he refuses to eat, but for the most part is now eating on his own. He doesn't seem to be able to eat regular pellets so I have to grind his food in the spice grinder and mix it with water to make mush.

Then Twisk got a cold. And then Pippin got a cold. And then Dougal got an ear infection (and died in my arms.) And then Posey got a cold. This may be the Year of the Dragon but it's the Winter of the Bunny. Dougal was the first rabbit I've lost (aside from Poppet's runt and two stillborns.) It was difficult. I try not to think about it. Everyone else is on the mend.

Through everything Dr. Bruce has been a medical MacGyver. It's nice to have someone so resourceful and knowledgeable in charge. I've spent so much time with him since fall we're considering adopting him.

In other farm news, well, I guess there is no other farm news. Just sick bunnies. The sheep, llama, and alpaca are anxious for spring and real grass, otherwise they are doing well. Beatrix is rocking a new camo colored jacket because that's what came the last time I ordered. She looks like she's getting ready to go on a mission but then she always looks like she's plotting to take over the world. Now she's dressed for it.

Exciting writing news though . . . I'm about to sign a contract to let Pacific Press ePublish all of my titles they have published in print. Except for Eleventh Hour and Midnight Hour which Eric Stoffle and I own the digital rights for. We're busy converting those files ourselves and will release them through Amazon. I'll keep you posted. I am embarrassed to say that I've broken down and ordered a Kindle Fire. I never thought I would. I'm still not sure I want one. But I'm ridiculously excited about it anyway. This ePublishing gig opens up a whole new world. Especially for control freaks like myself. I'm not entirely sure I won't pop a couple books onto Amazon that I've been noodling on for years. Might be fun.

Now if we could just get a little snow before winter is officially over it might smooth my re-entry into reality.