Shepherd's Harvest 2010

Shepherd's Harvest Festival in Lake Elmo this weekend.

This year I didn't take a class, so I was able to sleep in on a Saturday morning.  Nice treat!

It was cold and drizzly.  I almost cannot remember attending a Shepherd's Harvest that wasn't cold and drizzly.  I didn't get there til 11:30.  The parking lot was full, and there were people all over - body to body.

It's always interesting, attending a fiber festival.  There is such a fascinating mix of people.  If you've ever been to a fiber festival of any sort, you know what I'm talking about.

Anyway, I managed to keep my purchases within control.

One fabulous Cormo Fleece from RiverWinds Farm.  Can you see the crimp?  Oooooh...

One mitten kit from Blackberry Ridge.

It was a good way to spend a few hours on a rainy cold afternoon!

Last night of our spring break weekend

There's still some snow left up here.  High temps remain under 40˚.

The mouth of the Temperance river as it enters Lake Superior is still blocked with ice.

We hiked, following the Temperance River upstream.

I've done some knitting in front of the fire.  

Even managed to crochet a steek, readying to make this into a cardigan.

The full moon is tonight, and it was gorgeous rising into the clouds.

Bluefin Bay for spring break 2010

For the second year in a row, we've headed to the north shore of Lake Superior to Bluefin Bay.  Once again, Girl of the House and Ben have different spring breaks.  However, they overlap on the weekend, so Ben and Bekky have joined us for the final weekend of their college break.

It's drizzly and cold (36˚) but we've got a wood fire in the fireplace, good tunes on the stereo and games, books, jigsaw puzzles and knitting to keep us entertained.  

Well, OK, the knitting only entertains me.

I've got a lovely view and a comfy chair in my knitting spot.

Silent Auction

Every year, we have a silent auction at my hospital to benefit the local food shelf.  Last year I got a really sweet deal on a years worth of free range organic eggs, delivered right to my desk once a week.  Awesome.

I usually contribute a baby sweater.

This year, I've got a couple of different items.

A little pair of tiger baby socks.

A pair of Hippocampus mittens (my third pair - these are so much fun!)

In other news, spring has finally arrived in Northfield!  We still have piles of snow in the yard, but it reached 55 degrees today.

Paul joined me for a run, then we sat on the deck for our cool down.  Yup, he's wearing shorts on the 14th of March!  It's spring, I say, SPRING!

Snowshoeing

While we are really enjoying watching the Olympics, restlessness set in this afternoon, and we headed out for some snowshoeing.  It was sunny and in the 20s, a beautiful February afternoon.

We headed out to our pasture, just to check the borders.  This deer path is in the west pasture directly next to the house. The deer have tromped quite a path.  They like to eat out of the bird feeders on the north side of the house.

Next, out to the southeast corner to check out the bench.  It's a nice place to head in the summer mornings for a cup of coffee.

It was buried to the seat. 

We moved on.  No rest for us there!

The little dog was in charge of checking out all the rodents in the snow.  His snout gets covered.

 

All in all, it was a good day to be a dog out in the sunshine.

Not bad to be a snowshoer, either.