Scenes of a Bee

We had an annoying drizzle/mist for most of the day on Saturday, just wet enough so no threshing could take place. Of course the steam engines were fired up anyway. They got the saw mill operating.

This is what happens when too much pressure builds up because the machine wasn't being used at the time. It is called "popping off". Basically it just blows out the extra steam out the top. I got a little lesson in steam engines when my friend gave me and the blacksmith a ride around the yard. He steered, she operated the gears, and my job was to hold her skirt out of the fire. (I think my job was pretty important!) I also learned you have to keep water over your crown sheet because otherwise the machines innards get too hot and could disform. There is a gauge to watch. You have to think about that when you have to go up and down hills. Even if they are really small hills, just slight inclines even.

This is James the blacksmith.

He is all of 16 years old.

He is still learning, but he has set up his own forge at his place, using equipment found at auctions. He was doing his homework during the music jam on Saturday night, even though he feels that school is just government sponsored daycare for teens. It gives me hope for the world to see teenagers like this.

Usually the music jam is outside on the little stage they have set up by the granary. Ok, it's a low deck attached to the granary, but when you string Christmas lights on it, and hang old stuff on it, and put up a sign saying Live Entertainment, it becomes a stage.

It was too wet to do it outside though. So we just moved chairs into the blacksmith shop, and the show went on. Luckily, the shop is wood-lined, so the acoustics really weren't that bad.

Kids (and adults too, for that matter) had fun making rag dolls.

I had fun spinning this.

Natural rust brown alpaca carded with wool/silk dyed in deep oranges and reds. I have one small skein done, but no photo of it yet.