Breakfast table Blue Sky Farm

Snow on the ground again but, today is no exception. These Quail are here daily for their Breakfast and anything they leave behind they return for during the day. They are such beautiful birds.

Our first measurable snowfall

I received a new camera for Christmas, Now I will attempt to take better shots & then post them. One is a footprint that Clay took and one of Buster coming down off the road. and prints left walking to the end of the driveway. We have about 4 inches. It is pretty.  

Project completed ...Finally

I am sure I am not the first, last or only person to start a project and never get back to it in a timely manner... I am proud to say Today I finished a big soft white scarf that I started knitting over 4 years ago... I would bring it out and have full intentions of knitting a few more rows.. something always took priority over it...plus  I have the handicap of not ever taken a knitting lesson so perhaps thats one reason I would put it away for another day...Thanks to my sister Judy who knits beautifully and quickly I picked up a few tips but
she lives in Arizona  so thats another reason it was put on the back burner. I inserted a few spaced rows of colored feathery textured yarn to give it some color. She suggested I use circular needles  ( I thought all needles were circular) instead of 2 straight needles since I often dropped rows as well as stitches.. So It is completed now and we are expecting Snow tonight. I finished it in just the right time for Christmas. A pressie for me.. I was thinking about knitting stockings but.... changed my mind, maybe I'll try mittens...or not..It is a great feeling to finish a project and have it wearable...
You can bet I will be wearing it and smiling from ear to ear when asked "Did you really knit that?

Merry Christmas to all....

'Twas the night before Christmas & out on the ranch

The pond was froze over & so was the branch.

The snow was piled up belly-deep to a mule.

The kids were all home on vacation from school,

And happier young folks you never did see-

Just all sprawled around a-watchin' TV.

Then suddenly, some time around 8 o'clock,

There came a surprise that gave them a shock!

The power went off, the TV went dead!

When Grandpa came in from out in the shed

With an armload of wood, the house was all dark.

"Just what I expected," they heard him remark.

"Them power line wires must be down from the snow.

Seems sorter like times on the ranch long ago."

"I'll hunt up some candles," said Mom. "With their light,

And the fireplace, I reckon we'll make out all right."

The teen-agers all seemed enveloped in gloom.

Then Grandpa came back from a trip to his room,

Uncased his old fiddle & started to play

That old Christmas song about bells on a sleigh.

Mom started to sing, & 1st thing they knew

Both Pop & the kids were all singing it, too.

They sang Christmas carols, they sang "Holy Night,"

Their eyes all a-shine in the ruddy firelight.

They played some charades Mom recalled from her youth,

And Pop read a passage from God's Book of Truth.

They stayed up till midnight-and, would you believe,

The youngsters agreed 'twas a fine Christmas Eve.

Grandpa rose early, some time before dawn;

And when the kids wakened, the power was on.

"The power company sure got the line repaired quick,"

Said Grandpa - & no one suspected his trick.

Last night, for the sake of some old-fashioned fun,

He had pulled the main switch - the old Son-of-a-Gun!

-anonymous

The packages are wrapped...

I wrapped Clay's packages today, while he was out "shopping for me" At least thats where he said he was going... I didn't see any packages come through the door however... I wonder where he put them? He told me not to start looking around the house, so I am sure he hid them well. I love Christmas Festivities & Giftgiving.   This year I am completely finished shopping and wrapping and there are still 9 days  til Christmas. Annie is watching over the gifts and saying "Hurry up, Santa get your sleigh ready!"

More Christmas Decorating

  

 Fudge &  Baked Goodies ready for the neighbors...

Oh Christmas tree...

Tree is up.
It looks so much better with the lights lit at night.
Now it feels like christmas!

It's beginning to feel A lot like Christmas

I am in the mood... Christmas is in the air, Its snowing outside, the house is aglow with christmas lights & poinsettas... My friend Gail & I just made & decorated Christmas Sugar coookies.
Yesterday, I decorated the tree and today I posted a few Christmas cards.. The "UPS  " truck has found its way a few times down our driveway..dropping off packages.. at the door...I have been told   NOT to open  anything I didn't order and  if it didn't have my name on it.. and yes, I will follow those instructions!...

Honey of a gift from Blue Sky Farm

Our first crop of honey ready for gift giving.

What a great experience raising the bees this year. We learned a lot about bees and hope that we can harvest more honey next year. Right now the bees are snug in their hive, doing what bees do this time of the year, keeping warm and eating from the honey we left inside the hive. We only took one frame this fall and got enough for us and a few extra for gift giving. Unfortunalety not everyone on our Christmas list will receive a jar this year...I made the labels and think they are perfect! What do you think?

Main Street in Klamath Falls

Last night Clay & I went to dinner at one of our favorite restaurants and  the City is decorated for Christmas.  I love living in a town like Klamath Falls, especialy at Christmas. We don't have snow downtown yet, but it is snowing tonight here at Blue Sky Farm. The street lights and lighted banners remind me of my childhood in Yakima. I found this photo of Christmas last year with the snow. Now doesnt this being back childhood memories for you too?

Charming Chicks Benefit Bazarr

I want to take this opportunity to tell you about the Klamath Falls Charming Chicks. I started this chapter of "Farm Girls living in my town and close to it last spring. Our objective is to be a support to each other, while learning from each other how to live a more sustainable life. This is a time for us to become "friends". Our chapter is adopted from The Mary Jane Farm Girls Connection an online forum of over 700 chapters around the world.
 We have 9 members now . I have posted a link to Mary Janes Site  to the right, please go read and possible give it a thought to join. Its totally free.
Right now this month, We  have dedicated our chapter to support one of our members who's  daughter is receiving treatment for Breast Cancer. She is only 28 years old with no medical insurance. We are only doing what any "farmgirl "would do in supporting one of our "sisters." Lip balm, candy, cookies, pillows, have been made by our chapter  to benefit her at a local Bazarr this weekend. It warms our hearts to be able to help out in her time of need. Some of the gals also donated handmade & crochted Chemo-caps to the local Cancer Research Society. We went the extra mile and adopted a local family in Need for Christmas. A Complete Christmas will be furnished by our chapter, from the tree to the dinner. We are proud to share our blessings and creativity with each other. Check out the Website also linked from here.  I hope you enjoy the website and become a follower visiting often.

Surprises we found

A couple places we came across on our Thanksgiving break from the Blue Sky Farm.
Wouldn't it be cool to decorate  this house for christmas? I wonder how many strings of lights it would take?


Oregon's Oldest Continuously Operating Lighthouse

The lighthouse and historic home are open from April to October. The lighthouse tour, managed by the Bureau of Land Management. The Cape Blanco is the most southern of Oregon's lights, and is the westernmost point in Oregon. Proposed in 1864,

Perched high atop a cliff, jutting into the sea, a brilliant beacon guiding mariners past jagged, hidden rocks for well over 100 years. It was the first lighthouse in the state outfitted with a first-order Fresnel lens in 1870.
Cape Blanco is rich with history of ancient peoples and early explorers traversing the coast line. Today the romance of the lighthouse draws thousands of visitors to the grounds to learn its secrets.
Lighthouse history is shared with guests from all over the world, through a partnership between the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Oregon State Parks, the Confederated Tribes of the Siletz Indians, Coquille Indian Tribe, Curry County and the Friends of Cape Blanco


Hughes House

A fine example of late Victorian architecture, the Hughes ranch house is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Built in 1898 by P.J. Lindberg, it was a celebration of 38 years of hard work by Patrick and Jane Hughes.

The historic Hughes ranch house is a two story, eleven room house solidly framed of 2x8 old growth Port Orford cedar. The rectangular structure with cross axial wings, has over 3,000 square feet, and was constructed in 1898 at a cost for $3,800.

The house stands on a terrace on the north side of Cape Blanco. There are vistas of the distant hills, the Pacific Ocean, the Sixes River and the fields above and below. This location protects the house from the worst of the winter southwesters, but northwesters are still frequent visitors.

Guests now as then enter the front hall where soft light from a rose colored gaslight is reflected in the polished dark wood spindles and shiny balusters of the central stairway. The sharp odor of homemade furniture polish—probably equal parts turpentine, linseed oil and vinegar—lingers in the air.

Hughes House tour is conducted by knowledgeable volunteers and is free, but donations are gratefully accepted and help fund restoration and maintenance of the house.