Wishing our Granddaughter a Happy Birthday...Wherever She Is!

     Not that I needed the alarm on my cell phone going off to remind me that today is our oldest Grand-daughters 6TH birthday but it was still a lot like rubbing salt in an open wound.  This will be the second birthday we have missed celebrating with her and not knowing where she is or how shes doing...what shes being told or what she thinks about her grandparents "disappearing", has caused a plethora of pain....at least for me!  It's been close to 2 years  since we have last seen or heard from her and her siblings and the vacuum that has been left in all their absence is staggering to say the least. There is barely a waking moment that goes by that we are not thinking and praying for both her and Joshua and Liberty. So...in the absence of being a part of your life, Lily.....Happy Birthday from your Gramma and Grampa Williamson and please KNOW that you are missed, loved and wanted!!!!

     We have no idea if any of the cards or gifts we send are getting to you  but know that we will not rest or stop praying for the three of you until you are restored into our lives.  In the mean time, just know that we are praying for you without ceasing and that we will NEVER give up wanting you (and the others!) back in our life where you belong!  In closing, I want to speak these verses over you and ask the Fathers richest blessing on you not only today as you celebrate but each and every day of your life!  I can only ask somehow, someway, someday you will see this and know and understand that none of this was our doing or our desire.....we love you Lily...be blessed!

Ephesians 1:17-19~ "I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know Him better. I pray that the eyes of your hearts may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and His incomparably great power for us who believe."

 I Thessalonians 3:16~ "Now, may the Lord of peace Himself, give you peace at all times and in every way. the Lord be with all of you (and all of us.) Amen.

Numbers 6:24-26~ "The Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you; the Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace."

 John 17:11,15,17~ "Holy Father, protect them by the power of Your Name so that they may be one., My prayer is not that you take them out of the world, but that you protect them from the evil one. Sanctify them by the truth, for Your Word is truth."

Tour De Fleece Is Underway!

     Tour De Fleece 2014 is underway and today is day two of the "competition".  Susie is OFFICIALLY a member of Team Ashford, Team Caffeinated, and Team Peloton so she has her work cut out for her, having to spin EVERY day that the tour runs.  I myself am her "pit crew"...making sure that she gets her spinning time in, that she gets copious pictures taken of her progress, and figuring out how to post said pictures on Ravelry.  So far she has managed to get more spinning time in that I had expected and we are both in hopes that after spinning daily for close to a month, the "habit" of spinning will once again be set and we will get some of the mountain of fiber that I have stockpiled converted into yarn...then into a finished object!

     We are STILL in dire need of rain, having had none to speak of for close to 2 months.  Both the plants and MY stress level are taking a major hit with the dry and hot weather.

     I am UNOFFICIALLY not running in the TDF but am trying to work on something fibery everyday as well.  I have been processing a number of raw alpaca fleeces for Mike & Melody Weist and while I've been baking what little brains I have out by standing out in the field in the sun I do find this sort of work more enjoyable than what I do most of the week.  Here's proof that I DO actually do something around here!

Please Help Identify This!

     We were out working in the garden awhile ago and all of a sudden, without any warning whatsoever, we started getting hit with this "stuff".  I for one am hoping that someone can help me identify it because I don't know what it is or where it's coming from.  Whatever it is, it's cold and wet and made us run first to the barn then make a life or death break for the house.  Oh....wait a minute....Susie says she found it on line on the dictionary....lets see.....


RAIN....(noun)...water that falls in drops from clouds in the sky.

-water that is condensed from the aqueous vapor in the atmosphere and falls to earth in drops more than 1/50 inch (0.5 mm) in diameter.

 

-a rainfall, rainstorm, or shower: We had a light rain this afternoon.

rains, the rainy season

 

-weather marked by steady or frequent rainfall: We had rain most of last summer.

 

     OK...NOW I remember what it is. It's been so long since we've had any around here I had forgotten what it was called! (Now if we could just get it to KEEP raining for a few days so the spring fills back up that would be WONDERFUL!)

 

 

 

     (Just another shot to prove I'm not making this up!)

2014 Tour De Fleece Starts Next Month

     This will be a first for us....Susie is signed up to participate in the 2014 Tour De Fleece.  During the entire Tour De FRANCE competition, she will be spinning every day and posting on her Ravelry pages her progress.  We are hoping that this will be the catalyst to get back to daily spinning.....thus using up some of the kabillion pounds of fiber that I have stock piled over the years!  (Yes...the hoarder is Moi and I'm proud of the stash I've amassed but since there's still room in the house, my job is not yet done!)

     Now the only decision facing us at this point is whether or not I will also partake in the tour challenge.

Shearing Day at Double Creek Farm Alpacas

     Having not been ANYWHERE for several years, we decided to pay a visit to Mike & Melody Weist over at Double Creek Farm Alpaca in Lebanon, Tennessee. (Actually, we WERE invited!)  Mike and Melody were having a "shearing day" for their herd of 16 alpacas and having never seen alpacas sheared, it proved to be an interesting day.  Their shearer specialized in alpaca and llamas and she made short work of shearing the entire herd.....16 animals in less than 3 hours.  Susie and I had a really good time in spite of all the seed ticks I got walking through the grass getting to the car.  If you need any great quality alpaca fiber, be sure to look Double Creek up. You'll be glad you did!

An Open Letter To My Grandkids

     Several days ago, Susie and I were out clearing brush in our field (the one that's never been fully cleared in 20 years that we've lived here!) when we came upon a couple nodding trillium in full bloom. While not considered "rare", they are not something we see a lot of around here...especially after the loggers got done tearing things up all around our property.  Looking at them, I had a mix of emotions ranging from gratitude for being allowed to find and see them to sadness in realizing this is yet one more thing we're being deprived of sharing with our grandchildren. It's now been since before Thanksgiving 2012 that we've seen them or had any word on how they are.  I can only describe the pain at times as being like loosing a loved one long before their time.  Facing this can cause one of two outcomes.....I can either give way to despair and hopelessness or I can allow it to drive me to my knees in prayer....most of the time I choose the latter. I know this blog is suppose to be about the crafts Susie and I practice but not having Joshua, Lily, and Liberty around to share these traditions and crafts with has been a giant wound.  So....this post is going to be an open letter to them, knowing that the chances they will ever see it is slim, but maybe in just putting this into writing will help "strengthen" my resolve.

Dear Joshua, Lily, and Liberty;

     It's been a very long time since Gramma  and I have seen or talked to you.  We pray for you all EVERY day and hope that you are well and have not forgotten us.  Even though we have no idea where you are, how you're doing, what you're being told, or what you think about us not being around any more we want you to NEVER forget that we LOVE you and miss you!  We send cards for your birthdays and holidays but have never heard back from you so we can only hope that they are getting to you.  We still have Christmas presents from 2 years ago wrapped and sitting here.....a constant reminder that we are not part of your lives any longer. I want you all to be assured that none of this was our desire or our doing and that we are as innocent in all this as you three are.  Many things remind us of you....the small hammer you use to play with, the silly songs we use to sing, the cartoons we use to watch, the walks down the road, the playing in the creek, hauling firewood, and eating cookies....all the things we use to do with you all. We still look at the pictures we took of you and wonder what you look like now.  Joshua-How are you doing in school? What do you like to do? What do you want to be when you grow up?  Lily-Have you been doing any knitting? (Yours is still here just the way you left it) Have you started school yet?  Liberty-as the youngest, I'm not even sure you will remember us which makes the pain all the more hard to deal with. Do you remember us? How are you doing with your diabetes?  What do you like to do?


    We can only pray that someday you will be able to know the truth of the situation and realize that we did NOT leave you by choice. We were very happy being a part of your lives and not having you around has been very hard. To not be a part of your lives....to not having been there when you needed us...to not having been allowed to encourage and teach you the things you asked us to...to not be allowed to see you grow and mature....this has been a great wrong done to you three and to us.  PLEASE just know that you are in our thoughts and prayers and if you EVER need us, we are here and we will come....on that you can depend! We love you all and miss you more than you could ever know and we pray for Gods restoration of our relationship with you.

Love Grandpa Mike & Gramma Susie


 
    

Still Breathing in Tennessee

      You know, we started this blog several years ago to share with everyone our lives revolving around print, wood, and fiber but looking back, I see that more often than not what it's become is a "recitation" of problems we face.  Considering that there are MAYBE 3 people that read this blog, I should be glad that in this day and age, talking to yourself is considered "social media".... after all several generations ago they would "confine" you for talking to yourself.

     Seeing that we are already 3 months into this year and this is the first post speaks volumes as to what we have been going through.  One thing that has been made all too apparent the past few years is how our life's goals and dreams have changed (aka been shattered) not so much by a change in direction on our part but by the actions and mistakes of those around us.  Maybe I have led a sheltered life but before this period of time, I would have NEVER guessed that so much pain could be projected onto you by what others decide to do (or not do) and what someone may say (or not say) but the one thing that has been made ABUNDANTLY clear is that accepting or rejecting this pain is a CHOICE we each make daily.  I'd love to say that  I have this down cold but I don't and I have struggled daily with family relationships that I THOUGHT were rock solid that are now just on the rocks.  We are closing in on a year and a half without seeing our grandchildren...and NOT by our choice. We have no idea where they are, how they are doing, if they remember us, what they are being told about our "disappearance" or anything else about their lives. We have no idea how Liberty is doing with her children's diabetes, if Lily is still knitting or if Joshua has ever learned to use a hammer and saw like he wanted to. One thing I CAN say is that there is not a day that goes by that we are not in intercession for these three beautiful children and we pray for the restoration of our Godly inheritance.

     Work continues to be a trial and I have actually taken steps to change careers after 33 years in the printing trade.  I feel like the old letterpress craftsman and the Linotype operators that were replaced by offset lithography and photo-typesetting.  I've seen this trade change so much over the years that I hardly recognize it anymore. I wish I could share what I have in the works but at least for the present, I'm going to play this pretty close to the vest.  As things develop I will share more......along with trying to get back to the point of this blog in the first place and that being "talking" about print, wood and fiber.  (I promise!)