Internet Tax

The crassness of shopping at a brick and mortar and then whipping out a cell phone and purchasing online while in the store is undeniable.  Asking to match pricing isn't much better

If internet taxing is going to be done on the face of fairness then don't ask on line retailers to collect and remit sales tax to 10,000+ entities, on a quarterly or monthly basis, while a b&m collects for 1. 

Expanding a regressive tax such as sales tax to such a scale is an overcomplicated version of VAT.  But instead of VAT to the federal government it is to 10,000+ state level governments.  It always is easier to pass taxes on middle and lower income which can be the only reason this idea has bipartisan support in Congress. 

I actually try to buy local when I can.   Here is my latest experience.  I went to my local Game Stop, they didn't have what I wanted, but the store 3 towns over did.  The item was held for me and I went the next day and made my purchase.  I paid sales tax, BUT I also wasted gas on a trip to a store that did not have what I wanted, spend more gas going to the other store; not to mention the time spent for both trips.  Customer service at both stores was good.

I actually knew the item was available at Amazon and at Game Stop online, but I wanted the item in my hand at that moment and buying local made the most sense.  Was selection available?  No.  Was it convenient?  No.  Was it priced competitively?  Yes. 

Adding the pluses and minuses to shopping local wasn't a win for the "local" column.  Will I go back to Game Stop? Yes.  Will I shop Amazon? Yes.

The online experience is about selection, convenience, and price.   Want to destroy that, then put in a tax law where a business has to hire someone just to stay in compliance.

Since I run an online business I watch with amazement that this is even an issue.   Many state's have laws requiring their citizens to report sales made to them that did not have sales tax included and requires them to make that payment to their respective state.   My preference is for the 49 states I don't live in  take care of their your own back yard and stay out of mine.
 

Adding to Schedule

Good news! Soar will be part of our travel plans for the year. Soar will be Oct 20-26,2013 at Pheasant Run Resort, St. Charles, Ill; we will be vending at the Spinners' Market, Oct 24-26.

This year has a wonderful assortment of classes, as usual, and a free, open to the public market.

 

Changing Focus

The biggest change is the evolving focus of the business. After years of spinning pet hair on a production level my hands have developed pains that just aren't going away. In July 2012 I stopped taking in new orders. I don't have anyone I'm recommending to send their pet hair to. In response to this the number of fiber related events attended will be expanding slowly.

One of new shows that was added is Stitches South. It is a knit-centric event and I knew that going in so I set realistic expectations for attendance. What I didn't expect was the unpleasantness some of the attendees showed me. I know 99.5% were pleasant or just didn't say anything nasty, but those few were an eye opener.
 
The short version is comments were made that there was nothing in my booth that was wanted or could be used (by them). Truly. I know spinning your own yarn is not appealing to everyone, but it is part of the fiber world that includes knitting, crochet, weaving, felting, etc.... and to act like my products didn't belong at this event was surprising and a little upsetting.

And let's top it off by the 5 finger discount someone gave themselves with an ounce of bison roving.  Really?  Yes.  

I haven't decided if this show will be done again.  I did have a few who where happy to see something different and expressed that sentiment really sweetly.  

   

The SGK Pink Load of &(#$%!

I will preface this with I have never been totally sold on the SGK Foundation. Their actions of the last few years have confirmed my suspicions of them.

Vast sums of donation dollars have been spent on legal expenses to go after the small backyard/c­ookie charity events which use "xx for the Cure" because they trademarke­d the phase. Isn't all cancer important? Is breast cancer more a priority since it is sticking out of our body, literally wearing it on our chest for all to see rather than hidden in a body cavity.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/07/komen-foundation-charities-cure_n_793176.html

It also seems that little funding even is for research or looking for the cure. Most of the fund goes to raising public awareness/­education aka promotions and advertisem­ents.

Now one of the most recognizable "charitable" breast cancer organizations is pulling the funding for breast health and screening for poor women from an organization that helps women stay healthy when they can't afford medical care, Planned Parenthood. This is political &^&#*@&!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/31/komen-planned-parenthood-cuts-karen-handel_n_1245568.html?ref=mostpopular

Whether you believe in reproductive rights or not, the facts are that when women gained control of when and how many children they would have, women raised their education levels, which in turn increased their ability to increased earning levels, which increases the overall health of women and their families.

How much are the executives of SGK being paid to keep the "brand" out there. How many millions are these executives being compensated with from all those sales of pink ribbons, pink shoes, pink blenders, pink envelopes, pink yogurt labels, and even a pink bible.

Give your "charitable" dollars to organizations that promote charity and not themselves.
 

Arkansas Fiber Extravaganza

This event was moved to Hot Springs from Mt Magazine to grow the event. The venue (convention center) was big and well lit; and the city itself is nice. Winter is the off season, but I really enjoy that more.

This originated as a retreat, but with growth comes change and this is more of a festival now were you come for an hour or so to shop and then leave. There were classes to enjoy from some fine teachers so you could hang out for a few extra hours. Unfortunately, there was a $15.00 door charge, ouch! It included one admission to the Vendor Room for the weekend with the opening cocktail hour and opening remarks / meet and greet with Annie Modesitt plus a complimentary tote bag.

Here are a few pics of my booth from the show...







Here is my new line, Tree Silk Batts. I'll be adding handspun Tree Silk Yarns as well at a later date.

 

New Kits

Well when I bred 3 does a month ago I completely forgot about going to Arkansas for the Fiber Extravaganza in Hot Springs. Let this be a lesson for others....check your calender before breeding anything. They started gathering hay right before we were scheduled to leave and to top it off 2 of the 3 are new mothers and freezing temps were expected. Couldn't change anything so we left instructions for various "go wrong" senarios and hoped for the best.

As it happened 2 waited to have their litters until we returned, giving birth on Monday afternoon. The 3rd, and oldest doe, did not take so no litter from her. I'll try her again latter.
The black doe had 7 kits.
The choclate doe had 7 as well, but lost 2 to the cold when they didn't get into the nest quickly enough. I tried reviving them in my shirt, but I was too late.

I was really pleased with both does, making good nests and pulling enough fur to keep the kits warm. 1st time does don't go well at times. I did bring them in for the night and took them out the does in the morning to feed them. We'll keep that schedule up until the kits have fur and open their eyes. I'm concerned the high winds combined with the cold will be too much for the kits at this age.

 

Texas Wildfires

I've had a couple of inquires if I was safe from the fires so I want to assure everybody that I am and we currently have no fires in our county. We do have smoke blowing in from the fires, but it isn't too bad.

As a precaution 2 trees were cut down in the yard we thought would be a hazard. The winds have died down, but it is still bone dry here and still no rain in the forecast.

So far we have 68 days at 100 or above with a real chance of adding more.

The temps moderated with a cold front that came in and the rabbits are very happy, but it will go back up shortly. We are enjoying the short respite even if it has no rain to go with it.

The Heat

It has been a very long time since I last posted. Not a great deal has changed with the rabbits. They are all happy and healthy (considering the heat) and I'm doing the best I can to bring them through the current heat wave.

I have bred them to be hardy with the heat, and have been giving them ice bottles several times a day and frosty water bottles to drink from. The fans are running 24 hours a day. Some are really smart, drinking the cold water and laying on the ice bottles, but sometimes they just won't co-operate.

My oldest herd sire was one of the those. I was outside working when I heard a rabbit cry out. It is rarely a good thing when they vocalize. He was in distress so I carried him inside and put him in the refrigerator to try and cool him down without sending him into shock. Unfortunately, he passed away.

Everyone I know with livestock is experiencing similar losses. Temperatures have been above 100 for a month and are expected to continue. Yesterday 110 and it will be 110 today. And to top it off, it is still and quiet; not a breath of air at times.

It is so hot that a squirrel was lying on the soaker hose that I have in my yard. I really wish I had been able to get a picture.

Shearing sheep

On Monday, Presidents Day, I drove out to a friends' farm, Fancy Fibers Farm, to help out with the shearing day for the sheep and goats. Mary Berry, owner, has an assortment of cashmere and cashgora goats, shetland sheep and a border leister sheep. She also has suri alpaca, but those won't be done till March.

I had a great time! I worked with the shearer doing sweeping, bagging, minor skirting, etc.... He was very good and very fast so I really concentrated on keeping out of his way.








photo credits All rights reserved by iteachdigital

Homestead and homesteading is now a four letter word

I just learned of this and was shocked! Don't use homestead or homesteading as a noun or verb or you will be subject to a cease and desist letter from the family of Dervae. I hadn't heard of them before this news came out. They have managed to trademark a common everyday term.

They've sent cease and desist letters to the Santa Monica Public Library for hosting a free event on urban homesteading and have forced Facebook to shut down several groups with "urban homesteading" in the title. This is priceless.

They were denied Dec 9, 2008, on several counts, but managed to get it on appeal from the US Patent and Trademark Office.

Comments given to the Bay Citizen, reported by Twilight Greenaway (full article):

On the phone this afternoon Jules Dervaes acknowledged sending the letter to 16 organizations and businesses (including two publishers), and requesting that the Facebook pages be taken down. He did want to clarify that – contrary to some rumors – he has not gone after blogs or individuals. “They're all commercial ventures that rival us,” he said. Because the Dervaeses travel often for workshops and talks, he says, the trademark is applicable outside of their hometown of Los Angeles.

Mr. Dervaes is concerned that his intent has been blown out of proportion by challengers, and says “We didn’t come up the name but we came up with the application.” He says his family spent three years convincing the United States Patent and Trademark Office that their use of the term was unique, and had to appeal several times because it was so similar to “urban home,” a previously trademarked term.

“If someone else would have done it first, all my work of ten years would be in jeopardy,” he adds. “We didn’t mean to bully anyone. These marks are what people do to make sure no one infringes on their ideas – they’re to give people who develop something protection. That’s why people like Apple and Nike do it. We did what other normal people would have done.”

The last paragraph clearly indicates that the idea of urban homestead and urban homesteading was his idea and his alone. Really?

This article probably sums things up best. The Dervae clan clearly want to promote themselves rather than the ideal of urban homesteading.

The inevitable result is donation monies going toward defending a phrase. How useful is that? Who is benefiting?

If you've linked to any of their sites in the past (urbanhomestead.org, dervaesgardens.com, peddlerswagon.com, freedomgardens.org, barnyardsandbackyards.org, and homegrownrevolutionfilm.com), I recommend you take down the links.

Maybe we just hand the P&T Office a dictionary and tell them to have at it and put a trademark on every word and just be done with it.

Update:

From an interview given to the Telegraph, a British publication, the goal of their business is to establish a village of 60 families in South America on several hundred acres. Jules Dervae indicated that he was offering for 600 acres at the time the article was written in July '09, and that it was somewhere safe and isolated.

The moment I read that Jones Town was my next thought.

The adult children talk about putting their personal love lives on hold for their fathers' ideals and goals. Why is that necessary?

IMHO this is a cult mentality.

Winter yoyo

We had a 3rd winter blast early this week. It was some snow and ice, but really just super cold. We weathered it well and now we are heading into the 70's by next week. One extreme to the other really doesn't make it easy on people or plants.

This weekend I am shooting to get the fruit trees and roses trimmed up for the year. The rabbits could use a grooming.

Icey Roads

A rant:

North Texas gets ice on the roads for a certain time each winter. It will stay from 1 day to 5+ in each hit. The major roads are somewhat de-iced with sand and chemicals. No snow plows.

If you get on the roads you are taking a big risk from people who don't understand that you should only travel in these conditions for real reasons, such as work. Going for donuts is not a necessary trip! And for Gods sakes get off your *((&(((* cell phone.

During a recent week of ice I watched 2 people, on icey roads, on CELL PHONES, run through 2 different stop signs. And not because it would be safer to roll through them; they didn't see them. The arrogance is exasperating. Are you really that important?! Will the world stop turning because you couldn't talk while driving?! It didn't for 100,000 years before the cell phone came into being. And I am 100% positive the world will stay on it's axis if you don't talk while driving.

It has been demonstrated that we can't even walk and operate a cell phone at the same time so what in the world makes up think it is better to do it while driving!!!!!!!!!!!!!

More winter

Overnight 4 inches of snow came down. It is the perfect, light, powdery, fluff.





I was afraid we weren't going to get enough chill hours for the fruit trees to set properly. I don't think that is going to be an issue anymore.










Last Saturday my chocolate doe gave birth to 4 healthy kits, 3 chocolates, and 1 white. I decided to bring them in to raise them since the wind chill was below zero the day after their birth. Mom is brought in in the morning and she feeds them. She is an experienced mother so she is easy to work with.

Winter with a vengence

Well the time has flown and I have been incredibly busy. I thought we were going to get away with our usual cold, if over dry, winter. That changed in a heart beat. We had wind chills 5-10 below 0.

The snow was blown into the rabbit hutch. The expression on the little faces as they looked at me, each huddled in a corner of their cage, snow covered backs to the wind, was priceless. You could visualize them with a cross expression, tapping foot, and crossed arms. They were so unhappy with me and the weather.

I went to each one and brushed out the snow, gave them warm water in their bowls, fresh hay, and hugs. They were much more relaxed after that.

We also had a visitor to the hutch. The big, bad, wolf,
came by, really coyote. He/she looks healthy. He didn't stay long and went back into the woods without going any closer to the rabbits.

I got bad news from a farm I buy Shetland fleece from every year. Lael, owner of Maple Wood North, let me know that Cricket had passed away in her sleep, age 10. I have been buying Cricket's fleece for 8 years.

She had warned me last year that Cricket was looking and feeling her age. Cricket was my standing order. I feel I have lost a friend.

I'll be at Mary Berry's Winter Retreat February 19 to vend, teach, and relax. I'm doing a class, Hand Cards vs Combs. It should be fun!

Touches of fall

The year is going by really fast. I have bred my does so I will have kits available for the Kid n Ewe. Whether or not they took is another question. The extreme heat makes the bucks sterile for short periods. The weather finally moderated, but whether it was in time I won't know for 30 days.

The large wasp nests in the rabbit hutch have disappeared overnight. I originally had 2 large yellow jackets and 2 red wasp nests. I myself removed one of the yellow jacket nests as I needed to get into the hay area and put in a fresh hay bale. They were just below I store the hay on and I just knew our peace treaty would be broken if I started to bring in the new hay so close to them.

I treated them with an organic spray of mint oils. It took 3 days to get them fully off the nest, but I planned for that. The spray didn't really seem to kill the individuals, but it did drive them away from the nest. They reclustered on a nearby tree and on the 5th day began building a new nest from scratch on the inside roof. I could deal with that since it was far enough away from my work area.

Yesterday all the nests were gone, most of the wasp were gone and the hay was undisturbed. It had to have been raccoons to do such a clean sweep of all the nests. What surprised me the most was that they didn't knock my hay over. Raccoons are annoying and do damage most of the time, but in this case they did do me a favor without much damage to my equipment, for once.

Break in the Weather

Well this has been a different week as far as weather. Monday it went to 107 F, a record and on Wednesday the high was 81 F. It was amazing!

On Wednesday morning while checking the rabbits I realized the fans weren't working. I checked everything to see if anything was chewed on, knocked out of a socket etc...I just couldn't find anything wrong with them. While I was staring really hard at the fans willing them to work it hit me that they have a thermostat and that the temperatures had fallen below the threshold that I had set them for to turn off.

I felt rather silly then and relieved they were fine. The fans have been running day and night for months as temperatures were not going below 85 F at night. It really makes for some uncomfortable times at those temperatures. But FINALLY we are going back into the 70's at night.

Newest Family Memeber

Here is our newest family member. This lovely young lady was adopted from the North Texas Humane Society. She was found wondering the streets of Fort Worth.
The guess at her age is 2 years old and a Saluki mix. She was in sad shape, but a little time in foster care, and now with us she is looking bright and healthy.

For those wondering about if she has a spinnable coat? No. I deliberately concentrated my search for a new pet with a smooth, flat coat. I do so much for others in my company that I felt I wanted to fore go that for a personal pet.

Her temper is calm and laid back and she is training very quickly. She is fitting perfectly.

Weather note: we now have had 100+ for high temperatures 12 days in a row.

Harvest of Summer

Now is the time of summer doldrums. We are 100+ everyday now for the next 7 days. With the rabbits it just a matter of monitoring them several times a day, fans on 24 hours a day to keep them cool. They are doing well so I am glad of that.

With that kind of heat it really is hard to be motivated to do anything, but there is still lots to do for work and find in the woods.

In the woods we have been harvesting Mustang Grapes and Wild Chickasaw Plums. I have been preserving them as jelly and syrup.
In the yard I harvested my 1st homegrown apple, Mollies Delicious. It tasted wonderful, crisp, sweet, with a hint of honey. I planted the trees 3 & 4 years ago. This is their 1st year to produce so I have great expectations for next year.

Finally Some Rain

Well happy dance for me. We have had rain over the last 2 weeks in a good amount, but not too much too fast. It was about time too. It has been 2.5 months with nothing.

Now the humidity and mosquitoes are high and fierce. We are usually on the arid/dry side on the humidity levels.

The rabbits are coping well. Taking off their coats early was the best thing I could have done. The nights stay in the upper 70's into the 80's so the fans are going 24 hours. The air movement has been enough to keep them comfortable.

I will be teaching a class at the Winter Fiber Retreat in February 2011. It is called "hand carders vs combs". I haven't formalized the content yet, but it should be fun and informative.

The Heat and the Silk

Well the weather is completely full on summer heat wave. Three weeks early we went into upper 90's and 100. Did I mention no rain. We haven't had rain in weeks and none is forecast for the next 7 days.

I clipped all the rabbits down a month early. It was just too much to ask them to bear as the humidity was also higher than normal. I got 9 clipped down in 3 days and they look really pretty good. None were nicked. I use a small pair of pointed scissors. I can remove the coat with no 2nd cuts with them and with enough patience and technique the result is a smooth finish.

Muga Silk Top and Eri Silk Top have been added to my selection of hand spinning fibers. These fibers are so beautiful.