Quilt camp 2013

Quilt Camp this year was a little different from years previous partly because real life leading into Quilt Camp weekend was quite hectic with schedule changes, and partly because Kim, Jessica and Valerie were not there this year to add their zest and joy. We did get to make new friends this year though since Emily brought her mom and her friend/cousin/chosen family, Aly.  Though there was one point during the day when I looked around and wondered where my pressing expert, Valerie, went off to since I needed her desperately. 

On the last day that we were there it rained quite a bit and hailed a little.  One of the quilters even talked Roger Zimmerman into starting a rip roaring fire in the Lodge fireplace.  I swear the fire started so fast I thought there was a gas pipe underneath it that allowed it to start up so quickly, but Roger assured us that it was all him!

Co-Conspirators

So, it turns out that if you put a bunch of mischevious people together in one room for long enough and with enough talking and laughing....Crazy ideas will be hatched.  Ordinarily said mischevious people would look like normal humans you might see anywhere in your life...

Exhibit A

 Exhibit B

Exhibit C

DO NOT let their innocent appearances fool you though.  These folks are wickedly creative!  One night while Mom and Jess were visiting Aunt Lois and Uncle Doc in Texas, they got to talking about how much I like sheep...well, scheming really.  I'm not really sure HOW it all went down, but eventually the plan was hatched that Aunt Lois would sacrifice her beautiful sheep to the cause of a good practical joke/gift and Uncle Doc would sacrifice his beliefs on the way to treat a lady and write me a letter about my sheep's creation.  Both sacrifices were GREATLY appreciated (even a lady can understand that it's not really lying if it's for a good hearty laugh) and boy did I get a kick out of opening, planting, and sprouting Gertrude.  I swear, when I walked into the kitchen one day and saw that my sheep seed had sprouted I practically fell over laughing.  Evidentally, while Mom was in Texas, Aunt Lois helped her pack up Gertrude and bring her home in her luggage.  Then they waited...and waited...and when the time was right and I was the least suspecting, they SPRUNG their plot on me.  Uncle Doc acquired the closest thing to sheep "product" as he could get (eeeewww....I watered sheep poo!) and spent time gluing on some fleece.  Then he packaged it all up and they shipped it off to my house.  When the time was right and I was beginning to give up hope on my sheep seed ever sprouting, Mom brought in Gertrude and put her in my pot!!!  Even my dad was in the kitchen for the big discovery and boy did his eyes twinkle.  Mind you, I didn't find out the story until a while later since a)I couldn't quit laughing and b) my mom was being coy with their plotting.

Gertrude

Ok, so this whole exciting event in my life happened several months ago, but I've finally gotten all my pictures in the same place and am able to post about what happened.

I've always wanted a sheep.  It's probably no surprise to anyone who knows me that I LOVE sheep.  I think they are the absolutely fantasically MOST adorable things in the whole farming world.  I know they're dumb.  I also (now) know that they stink.  It doesn't matter to me; I still love them unconditionally.  Anyhow, that's the motivation behind the gift I received in the mail one day.  Another important tidbit is that I have and aunt and uncle in Texas and Uncle Doc is a COW doc.  He has absolutely no use whatsoever for sheep.  I'm pretty sure if they all fell off the face of the earth his life would be improved.  Mine however would be desolate...but I digress.  I received this letter in the mail which explained my package.

 If you look very carefully you will see that Doc had used his veterinarian contacts and know how to obtain a "fertilized ovum" to sprout a little lambie if only I would "plant it in some good potting soil about an inch deep and keep the soil slightly moist."  Turns out I knew even less about science than I thought that I did because I thought mammals had live births, but Doc is a doc so I should trust him.  I was a little leery...I'm not going to lie.  I felt like this was some sort of an intelligence test.  If I planted the sheep seed and it didn't grow I failed because everyone knows that sheep have live births.  If I didn't plant it, I failed because Doc knows things about animals that I don't (like, a LIFETIME'S worth more than I do...) and I shoulda trusted him.  If I planted it and it grew, then I still failed because everything I knew about science was wrong.  There was NO way for me to win this intelligence test. 

But...I'm a trusting person.  I believe that if someone tells me that something is for sure true, I should take their word for it.  So.....I got a pot...and tucked my fertilized sheep "product"...

 

And I waited.  Another thing my precious readers should know about is that I am NOT a very patient person.  But the letter said to wait 7-10 days to have my lambie sprout so I was determined to wait.  And wait... 

I dutifully watered my lamb every other day and wouldn't you just know it!?!  It sprouted!

 

 Do I look completely disbelieving?  I was VERY surprised at the miracles of modern verterinary medicine!!

Since my lambie was born with a purple ribbon, it was determined that she is in fact a she.  I named her Gertrude and she now lives happily at the office where I can see here every day.  She even has friends!!

I have been greatly enjoying having Gertrude to keep me company at work and she has been greatly enjoying being the first ever sprouted lamb.
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Check in tomorrow for further details surrounding the birth (?) of Gertrude!!!