Sunday, February 6, 2011

It's all about the Goats

It’s been a rough start to 2011 with little time in the weaving room. One of our “original 3” goats died suddenly last Saturday morning as we were preparing to return from a family visit in Florida. Chasselas was a Permanent Grand Champion - top wins at 3 regional shows in 2002-03, qualifying her to go on to nationals. As the judge at her first GC win announced, she was the "goat that had it all." She was mother (hands down the BEST), grandmother & great-grandmother to most of our Frijoles Kids herd. Her 2-legged friends & nine 4-legged friends really miss her. Another one of the original 3 (also a show champion) has had a mystery illness that began early January with “port wine urine”. Imagine me outside for hours in the frigid winter weather (-17 Wed. night!) collecting urine from our little goat. He’s on daily steroid injections (tapering), but is now stable & manages to park himself under the space heater in their shelter. Our herd has been blessedly healthy for nearly 12 years, but there are no books on geriatric goat care!




Chasselas with her first born doe











For the Florida trip et.al. upcoming travel I ordered a compact Inkle loom called a Nomi, pictured on The Inkle Life blog http://inklenaomi.blogspot.com/ There are a few other compact inkles out there that also look good, but so far I’m really happy with this one. You can see how nicely it fits in a small carry-on bag or tote. Standard belt/inkle shuttles are really too wide, so I’ll be trying a narrower netting shuttle for the next project. 
Go, Packers! Not that I care too much ... I plan to start winding a warp by the big screen.
Marta




7 comments:

Linda said...

Marta,
I am so sorry about your goat! They are so special to us, aren't they.

That is a neat little loom! You could probably weave on an airplane!

Carol said...

I am sorry for your loss. Pets are so special. My sister lost her 18 year old cat last week and we're all sad. He was a special little guy!!
I got one of those Gilmore mini wave looms and am looking forward to getting it warped for belts. It's a different animal, not sure how it will do flying but you'll have to check it out. It's pretty awesome!!

LA said...

I'm so sorry to hear about Chasselas. I'll be sending special thoughts to your little one that's under the weather. It has been a difficult winter! LOVE the little Inkle!!!!

Tina J said...

Marta, you have taken wonderful care of your little goats, that is why they are living so long! I am so sorry that you lost one of your original goats. They truly special aren't they! Good luck with the second one!

roxie said...

Oh, she had a good long run, didn't she? And you made her life a happy one. I'm sorry for your loss.

Bonnie said...

So sorry to hear about your loss. Our pets make a warm loving spot in our hearts.
Love that little loom. So cute.

Anonymous said...

Thanks to everyone for your heartfelt thoughts. It's so painful to lose longtime companions, but I can't imagine life without them! Carol - I love those Gilmore wave looms, but even the mini is too large for my carry-on. I'll be anxious to hear more about your wave weavings.