Art News - I have been working on a white tiger wooliture for the past several days and nights.  I still need to add a few stripes and detail on the feet, but he's just about finished.  I'll be working on a butterfly and a Portuguese Water Spaniel dog woolitures next.  I'm almost out of white wool now!!!  I was going to work on a white buffalo that I've already sculpted clay hooves and horns for and a snowy owl, but that will have to wait.  Luckily, Josh over at the FiberArts group just sent me pics of his white wool rovings that I think I may buy soon.   I have SOOOoooooo many wooliture sculptures in my head that I NEED to create!  And a couple of orders to work on.  So, I've been happily busy.  I invited a new etsy needlefelter to join our google needlefelters group who said needlefelters are a patient bunch.  So true!  I have worked for over 40 hours solidly on this white tiger that is only 6" long.  Mostly the stripes are taking a while.  I've posted a picture of the Ella Lil Ditto with her Muggie Baby Lil Ditto that I sent off last week for a birthday present.   I am working on creating my own eyeballs for the sculptures instead of using beads.  I also found a lampwork bead lady not too far from us who makes some AMAZING beads.  These beads are like little aquariums!!  They are awesome!!  I am on a different email account right now or I would include the link.  I will next time for sure.  Anyway, she gives classes, so I'm looking into that as well.

Ranch News - Weeeelllll, the hay got cut 3 days ago.  Last night it got rained on and it wasn't baled yet.  They are calling for more rain.  Soo, not sure when that hay will get baled.  It is SO weird that alfalfa can catch on fire if it is baled wet.  But, it is true.  It has to be the right moisture content and then stored with good ventilation or it will just light itself on fire.  I really wish I had the equipment.  It just kills me that the hay got rained on while I sat here unable to do a thing about it on perfectly beautiful days and our cutter was busy cutting other fields.  I think we could have baled yesterday or even the day before since it's been like 100 degrees and a bit breezy.  That hay is curing fast.  I am very seriously going to get a scythe and we will hand harvest our tiny 2.7 acres of alfalfa next year.  Turns out my "save our butts" neighbors know about scythes!  Have even used one!  They continue to amaze me with their wealth of knowledge essential to happy life!  I am sooooo blessed to have these neighbors.  I really adore the whole family.  I am not sure what they get out of the relationship with us, though.  We are constantly in some dumb jam and they are constantly our rescuers!  One time my husband saw the neighbor husband with a flat on the side of the dirt road.  My husband was SO excited that FINALLY WE would be able to help THEM!!  We can fix tires!!!  But, by the time he got there the neighbor wife was already there chatting with her husband and the tire was replaced, so he just waved.  I mean, I could go on and on and ON, but I'll just tell this one story for now.  We had a really old truck and really beaten down gooseneck trailer that we took into town to buy hay.  We filled that trailer full of big bales of hay.  That poor ole truck struggled as we puffed up to the top of the ridge on the dirt roads.  As the sun was setting, and we were not nearly to the top of the ridge, the truck gave up.  We started rolling backwards with that hay filled gooseneck pulling us down the hill.  So we were pretty much t-boned across the road, no electrical working as it was getting darker and darker and in a place with very poor visibility even at high noon.  Our hero neighbor crests the ridge and comes to get us.  He hooks up and pulls us, the truck, the gooseneck trailer full of hay all the way to our house.  They never ask for a thing and always say, "Well, that's just what neighbors do for each other."  But, God willing, ONE of these days, we'll be able to do SOMETHING for them!  So far, they don't really ever need assistance and if they do, WE sure as hec probably can't help them.  But, we always pray for them and ask God to bless them.  So, even if we can't do a thing, He will. :)