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January 15, 2025
Mamma Cows... from May Your Bobbin Always Be Full


We have been gathering up the mama cows

so they are all in one location... 


for calving season...just 7 weeks away !




These are some of our new 

replacement heifers...

We are adding them to our cow herd.



They are expecting their first calves

in March...


Althea and Eloise...




Both of these heifers are Golden Girls...

Elsa (on the left) is the frozen calf.

She is 2 years old and expecting her first calf.

Golden Delicious (on the right) is her sister

and expecting her 2nd calf.


Enjoy the videos of the cattle:




Meet our Heifers Video:




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January 6, 2025
Periwinkle Quilt...Progress from May Your Bobbin Always Be Full

 




I am making progress on the Periwinkle Quilt



102 Star Blocks pieced together...





Ready to trim the blocks to 6 inches...





This Bias Square ruler is my very favorite

for trimming up blocks...





I also use the revolving mat

to make the trimming go faster...





102 blocks all trimmed up and ready for

the design wall...





First two rows up on the wall...




8 rows up on the wall...





I have admired this quilt design for years

and it is finally a reality...





42 dark star blocks left...





I am placing the dark stars around the

outside as a border ...

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December 3, 2024
Pillowcases and Cattle... from May Your Bobbin Always Be Full

 

I am trying to finish up the last few

holiday gifts...


I was in the mood to make a few pillowcases...





These fabrics have been in the cupboard

for years and it is time to put them to good use...





There are two little girls on my holiday

gift list and these will be perfect for them...





These are so roomy, it is easy to get

the pillows in and out of them...





These were FUN....I'll make more !



We start our day with the cattle...


This is my view each morning

as I drive the feed wagon...





The ...

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November 7, 2024
A Little Upgrade at the Ranch from Allen Quilts

I had intended to work my way up to this by posting a couple more posts showing the baby turkey vultures as they grew, and I will get back to that because I think they were just so interesting. But, I’m so excited about what is going on over there, that I’m just jumping right… Continue reading A Little Upgrade at the Ranch

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October 5, 2024
Autumn Leaves... from May Your Bobbin Always Be Full


We are having a beautiful, dry autumn here

in Western Oregon... 


It has me inspired to create leaves...





I have enough for 4 table runners...



We were coming home from feeding

cattle this morning and I just had to

stop and take a few pictures:

This is the view of our home place 

from the road...





The red maple trees in the yard are really

putting on a show...





I press some of those red leaves

to put on our Thanksgiving table each year...





We have begun feeding cattle...





The cows look forward to a fresh bale of hay...





The ...

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September 14, 2024
Pears & Cattle... from May Your Bobbin Always Be Full

 

The Cowboy planted a Pear Tree

a few years ago...


Now...every September

I find myself doing this !





The Cowboy brings a box of pears in

each morning...





This is my pear processing center...

the kitchen will stay like this until

the pear tree is done.





The Cowboy usually helps peel the pears,

but today is he out hauling firewood.





We started feeding cattle this week...

this is the first bale of the season.





The pastures have dried up and

the cows are beginning to wander

looking for feed...





The cattle are on Open Range...

not fenced in,

so ...

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September 7, 2024
Summer Cattle... from May Your Bobbin Always Be Full


Oh, the lazy days of summer... 


Elsa, the frozen calf is on the left...

she is 18 months old now.






This is Althea Pink....a real beauty





Eloise, the white roan, is a yearling heifer

and will have her first calf next Spring...





This is the heifer field, across the river from

our home place, in the background.





Butter Cup, oh so cute !

She is also a heifer and expecting her

first calf in the Spring...





All the cattle are fat and slick in the summer...





In the summer, the living is easy ...

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July 20, 2024
Quilting and Baling Hay... from May Your Bobbin Always Be Full

 

I am creating a Comfort Quilt...



I pulled a bunch of large floral fabric scraps

that have been in the stash for 20 years or so...





I chose this gladiolus fabric for the center.

They measure about 8 inches tall...





There was enough of this pink zinnia fabric

for a border around the gladiolus...





Before I knew it, there are 3 borders on

and it measures 60 inches square.

I will put one last border on...



Out in the last hay field:


We are finishing things up...

I am raking and the Cowboy is baling...





The Cowboy is baling up ...

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July 14, 2024
Vintage Christmas Quilt....Top Done from May Your Bobbin Always Be Full


This is what the Christmas quilt

looked like last month...


The pick up truck blocks were completed...





and stitched into rows with the trees...





Last week I added a narrow white border

and a narrow red border...





It is now complete with a wide

green border...

Quilting and binding are next!





We are in the 3rd hay field this week...





I was able to get the mowing and raking done

after the heat wave was over...





 The Cowboy is baling it today...

One more hay field left to do.


View my Instagram feed HERE


CLICK HERE:  to see My Quilts ...

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July 8, 2024
Cow Camp Tree... from May Your Bobbin Always Be Full

 

We're in the 2nd hay field today.

I got my raking done early in the morning

when it was still cool...


It is 105 degrees this afternoon and I am 

looking for somewhere to shade up...





So I went where our cattle shade up...

The Cow Camp Tree





I pulled the pick up under the tree limbs,

opened the doors and a beautiful breeze

blew right through the cab...



The Cow Camp Tree is enormous...


This picture will give you an idea of just

how HUGE this tree really is !



This picture was taken last Spring

of our cow ...

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July 6, 2024
Baling Hay.... from May Your Bobbin Always Be Full


Once the mowing and raking are done...

 


It's time to get it baled up !


 


We have been making round bales for

over 20 years now...





Even after 20 years,  I still get

a kick out of watching them pop out

the back of the baler !





100 degrees this week !





A couple more weeks of this

and hay season will be over...





The first field is baled...

on to the next one.


View my Instagram feed HERE


CLICK HERE:  to see My Quilts




May Your Bobbin Always Be Full,

LuAnn Kessi 


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July 5, 2024
Life in the Hay Fields... from May Your Bobbin Always Be Full

 

Life continues here in the hay fields...



I am now mowing the second hay field.

I am not alone...




Just across the fence is the Cowboy...






He is raking the first hay field...





Once the raking was done,

he hooked up the round baler...





The round bales weight 1,000 pounds...





Lots of mowing, raking and baling going on...





The Cowboy baled up 120 bales in the

first hay field...

You can view our hay field videos on Instagram


View my Instagram feed HERE


CLICK HERE:  to see My Quilts




May Your Bobbin Always Be Full,

LuAnn Kessi 


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June 4, 2024
Working Cattle.....Spring 2024 from May Your Bobbin Always Be Full


It is Spring here in Western Oregon...

time to get the cattle worked


Today we are working the heifers...

heifers are the females who have just had

their very first calf.





The cow and calf pairs are herded into the corral

then sorted into different pens.

Mamas in one pen, calves in the other.





They don't like to be separated,

so they start bawling and it gets loud !





We have a tiny chute just for the calves...

it keeps them secure and safe so we can

get them worked quickly and back with their

mamas in just a ...

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May 11, 2024
Sorting and pitching! from Crazy Quilter on a Bike!

Wow!!!! What a day! We spotted one coyote and one moose on the way to the farm. There were never moose in this area, but their habitat is changing, so I guess they are in the area now. We also have bears -the big kind, but I haven't seen any here, although I had a dream about them last night. Little Bear, meeting a real bear! 

However, the most "exciting" critters I met were SIX ticks. I found one on my forehead while taking a break, one in the truck on the way home, and another on my head ...

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May 3, 2024
The Wedding Quilt... from May Your Bobbin Always Be Full


We live along the Big Elk River...


When we rise in the morning, 

we see the Elk through the fog,

grazing just outside the yard fence...





The Elk are calving right now and will 

bring their calves into our hay fields in June...





Two winters ago an orphan elk calf took up

with our cow herd and ate hay right off

the hay truck when we fed each morning...





When you live in this little valley,

you learn to live with the elk...





Our neighbors are getting married in August...






They also live along the Big Elk River...





This Elk ...

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April 30, 2024
Pasture Management... from May Your Bobbin Always Be Full


I won't be listening to the 

hum of my sewing machine today...



I will be listening to the roar of this

John Deere 4440 tractor...





Climb aboard and check out

the cockpit...





This is where I will spend the day...

that is an oh so comfy hydraulic seat !





This is a room with a view...





My mission today is to flatten out 

these mole hills...





The mole hills are big...





There are hundreds and hundreds of them

in the pastures and hay fields...





The implement attached to the back of the

tractor is called a "drag"





Here is a ...

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April 21, 2024
The Golden Girls... from May Your Bobbin Always Be Full


Super Cuteness... 


Golden Girl.....Born 2016





Golden Girl....a curious yearling heifer




2022...Golden Girl with her calf, 

Golden Delicious

Yes, they are twins !





2023...Golden Girl with her calf, Elsa

We now have a herd of Golden Girls !





2024...Here are Golden Girl's calves 

all grown up:

Golden Delicious and Elsa

They look just like their mama.





Golden Delicious and Elsa

They live in the same pasture right now...





As you can see...

Golden Delicious is expecting her first baby.

She is round like a barrel !




I check on these girls 2 or 3 times a day,

but ...

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Hot Pads... from May Your Bobbin Always Be Full

 

My stock pile of hot pads is running low...



I like to keep them around for gift giving...

everybody needs a new hot pad !

A great way to use up those

fabric scraps...



Insulbrite batting as the base

and then stitch & flip the fabric strips in place...





Similar to log cabin blocks...

A pile of tops all done.




All finished with the backings,

then turned right side out

with top stitching all around the edges.





They pile up quickly !





The best part is....no binding necessary.





Give them away to everyone you meet up with !



4 weeks left in the ...

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April 14, 2024
Side View Mirror... from May Your Bobbin Always Be Full


Each morning as we feed the cattle...

 


this is my view out the side view mirror...





The Cowboy is flaking alfalfa off the back

of the pick up flat bed and

the cattle gather behind and begin eating...





We drive slowly as the Cowboy pushes off 

one flake at a time...





It is a good time to check the mama cows

to see who is getting ready to have a calf...





It is our morning routine...

all of us...

the Cowboy, the Cattle and me.


View my Instagram feed HERE


CLICK HERE:  to see My Quilts




May Your Bobbin Always ...

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April 12, 2024
Elsa...The Frozen Calf from May Your Bobbin Always Be Full

 Remember Elsa the Frozen Calf ?



This is Elsa a year ago with her mama...





She froze the night she was born and we

thawed her out with a hairdryer...



Fast forward to today....a year later:


This is Elsa now weighing in at 1,000 lbs.




She is the biggest and best heifer in the herd.

I thought you might appreciate an update on Elsa.

You can click here to read her story.


View my Instagram feed HERE


CLICK HERE:  to see My Quilts




May Your Bobbin Always Be Full,

LuAnn Kessi


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