Deron and I live waaaaay out and in many ways do live as they did about 150 years ago. We of course have many of the modern items but....

Deron and I have many interests (hobbies and ideas) and are hoping to go to our first Renaissance Fair very soon. I have in fact been sewing/working on/making patterns for/making jewelry/and other items for us to wear to the Renaissance Fairs and events. It is fun to look at the styles and how simple they are to put together.

We had talked about attending the Renaissance Fairs for years....one of those things you just don't get around to doing. Then we met some folks out here on the prairie that are actually trying to set up a Renaissance Fair Grounds and live there 24/7. We are of course hoping they can get it going sooner then later, but of course like any large endeavor it is going to take some time and lots of that green stuff called money.

We were fortunate enough to have Thanksgiving Dinner 2008 with the folks I mentioned above (Tom, Chris, Mindy, Joyce and the rest of their families and friends). WHAT A WONDERFUL TIME!! Not only did we enjoy their company very much, we also got to see some of their "garb" and "stuff" that included, really KOOOOOOL clothing and swords and games and daggers and head pieces and......even a "hair box" Tom had also reenacted Civil War Times and I was able to see the backpack, made with hairon cowhide over a wooden frame backpack with thick leather straps. Mindy also shared many of photos from times they were "dressed" or "decked out" in garb and out having a great time camping and/or at Fairs. Tom shared his long recorded family history complete with photos. One other "old" thing that was shared was noodles that Joyce's mother has made for them at every holiday, and now she, Joyce, now continues the tradition. I not only am a noodle freak!! I also helped make them. THEY ARE WONDERFUL!!

And so the start of Deron and my new "thing".

This photo is of a set of four wooden, correct for the Renaissance time period, crochet hooks. I found them in a Thrift Store and bought them for $1.50. One the same day, different resale store, I bought a mint condition serving bowl, also Renaissance time correct, for .25....quite the finds!

I did make the shirts, harnesses and my hairpieces in these photos. I love working with leather and suede.

Personally, I think we do people a disservice by even having these handouts. It sure does make for some hurt and prejudice feelings. Deron and I have and heard people talk about it first hand and it is not "pretty talk". It is a shame in this day and age where we talk about equality when in reality, things like government handouts for "some" actually separate us. I think people in general forget that equality means we are equal....in all things, not just when it fits our wants.

So anyway, I won't be dancing or participating in any official Pow Wows but I do really enjoy wearing and making leather/suede/turquoise/beads and feathers, riding bareback on my Paint Horse and all the other traditional "Indian" stuff.

Yes, yes, remember, milking goats is not a dress up affair. LOL Many people think they want a cow for milk.....cows do give milk, cows give a lot of milk. Cows give more milk then most people will ever use in a day!

Most Dairy goats will give over a gallon of milk a day. PER DAY! Goats are smaller then cows, take up less room, eat less and are easier to work with and milk then a cow.

Do a little research on goat's milk and you might just ask yourself, "Why does the USA not drink goat's milk, rather then cow's milk, like the rest of the world?" Goat's milk is very good for people and goat's milk can be used for any type mammal baby as a full and complete supplement.

I do have a whole page about Goat Milking on our www.workinggoats.com and or our www.faroutliving.com sites if you are interested in learning more about it and how it works for us.

Yes, we have chickens. We love our chickens and the eggs they product. We do not have refrigeration and so buying eggs in town does not work out for us. We have a few chickens so that we collect a few eggs per day for our own use....pretty farm fresh eggs too!

Yes, it is an awful photo, but you get the idea (and it is the only one I found for right now LOL)

I have been making my own sewing and craft patterns since I was a kid. It is fun for me. So when we started getting interested in the Renaissance Fairs and meetings and such, I went to the sewing machine and started making Deron and myself "some garb".

I love to crochet. I am self taught. Again, many times, like with these snoods, I make my own patterns. I have made sweaters, hats, afkans, many many toys, snoods and more.

Crocheting is fun and easy to do. It is a real nerve calmer and you can feel pretty accomplished when you finish a project.

You can do an Internet search on learning to crochet. It is easy to learn, step by step.

Then there is also the spinning of your own wool too.

I must admit, it has been a while, but I have spun the wool of our own Engish and French Angora Rabbits as well as our own Llamas and one Sheep.

Deron made my Drop Spindle and my Navaho Spindles and one day I would love to own and use a spinning wheel. I have used a Hook Spindle and have even been able to try spinning wheels that belonged to friends of mine....what a delight!

This photo is of Fancy, who won top awards at the fair in Angigo, WI. In the photo she was about 7 weeks old. You can see how nice her wool was coming in even at an early age. Rabbits are inexpensive and easy to keep and product a good amount of wool if out of good blood lines.

I usually use suede for the fold over covers, maybe a deer antler button to close them and the pages are hand stitched into the book itself.

This is something I have just started doing. I must admit, some of the books and journals I have made have computer generated printing on them, but in the old fonts you understand. <grin> Deron has written and does write a wonderful software called PageStream that I use for cards, books, fliers and customer information as well as much much more. If you are interested in a really great Desktop Publishing Program that is not expensive to buy, have a look at www.pagesteam.org

Here's an almost lost "art". When was the last time you received a hand written letter? Not a birthday card, not a Christmas card with a typed out "here's what we did all year" 100 copied letter, but a real hand written letter?

I actually do send my friends, from time to time, a hand written letter...and thy love getting them. There is something so personal, so warm about a hand written letter. You took the time, you went to the mailbox, and now they are holding a letter from your hands to theirs. Long after the email is deleted or the computer crashes and looses all those notes you have saved, that hand written letter will still be in someones desk drawer.

You do not have to have fancy stationary paper or any fancy envelopes. Just grab a pen and paper and write someone....you will hear from them very soon after, sometimes in a handwritten letter back to you.

For years, since I was a kid, I have had and worked with and trained animals. I have never had the kind of money it takes to buy the equipment, so again, I designed and crafted my own....that is how my animal equipment businesses got started.

Not only did I design the goat's harness in the photo (and sell them on my www.workinggoats.com website) Deron came up with the inexpensive way to make and attach the shafts to the wagon the goat (Rena) is pulling.

Training working animals is not rocket science....but you do need to know what your are doing, that is, how to get from point A to point B. I have trained many types of animals. I have done so mostly by reading good books and jumping in and doing it.

Start with smaller animals. Everyone wants a horse. Many want to train their horses to pull carts, wagons, plows, ect. But let me tell you, training a horse can be deadly if you do not know the dynamaics of horses as well as how to train them.

more to come

This photo is of me with two fillies/horses we are training a llama and goat we have trained and in the background, our farm dog that we also trained.

Yes, we hang our clothing on the clothes line to dry. Saves clothes a lot of wear and tear. Our sheets smell soooooo very nice and the wind out here in NW SD removes any wrinkles so there is no ironing.....good thing, I would hate to have to heat one up over and open flame. <wink>

this coming soon.....something Deron and I have wanted to do for a long time. We have researched this and are planning to make Goat's Milk Soap this winter...it is soooooo good for your skin. I have already bought a few molds and look forward to making the cute animal shaped soaps.

I have hand crafted several pairs of suede Moccasins over the years....and yes, wear/wore them. Mine were made with authentic Indian Patterns and I cut them from a large thick piece of hand chosen suede. All were hand stitched, some I prepunched the leather others I worked the needle (and not easily) stitch by stitch. I have made some moccasins with kits, but I prefer to make my own from start of choosing the patterns and leather to hand stitching. Now I am going to have to "dig some out" for photos.

I have also made purses, clothing, all kinds of items with suede hides, many from my pattern designs.