"It is well to remember that the entire population of the universe, with one trifling exception, is composed of others." A.Holmes

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Tea & Toil = Joy

My sheep were sheared this past weekend. The woolly ones are now the naked ones, and my toil of joy has just begun again . I hope you don't think life around here is one big tea party. Lovely teacups are a delight but my most used teacup is the one I am showing you today.
Here sits my teacup, well used and chipped.I never drink coffee from this tea cup, just hot tea. My tea of choice is most often Red Rose, black...no sugar or milk, ever.This tea cup is porcelain. I bought it in the 1980's, before we moved to the country and built our home. This is the tea cup I take outside with me when I work, or check on the livestock. This is the cup I fill with hot tea and take out in the evenings to check on any new lambs, or watch a ewe ready to lamb. You can see I have a lot of work to do. Twelve of my sheep were sheared, and their wool fleeces ( shown above in plastic bags ) need to be skirted a bit more , then I will sort their wool into bags of all black wool, all white wool, and a bag of black and white combined, making gray wool. See my tea cup on the skirting table? I like the pictures on the sides of this tea cup. They depict a cozy home with some of the things that make a home the place to be. A rocking chair by the fireside, a good book to read, a cat...all the cooking and tea utensils. With twelve bags of wool to get ready for spinning and weaving I will be drinking a lot of tea from this cup, that is why this week my teacup is my working one...tea and toil, joy for me!"The highest reward for a persons' toil is not what they get from it, but what they become by it." John Ruskin To see more teacups and all things tea ,check out the links below : "Hard work is painful when life is devoid of purpose. But when you believe in something greater than yourself and the gratification of your own ego, then hard work becomes a labor of love." Steve Pavliner

21 comments:

The Charm of Home said...

Oh, how cute these little sheep are! I love your little spotted sheep you sale, just adorable. They have the sweetest faces. Must be rewarding to make each one. Thanks for stopping by.
Sherry

Anonymous said...

Nice cup! I remember shearing days but I don't want to go through that again though, we had a bad experience with it but we don't raise sheep anymore anyways.

Blessings,

Amy

Pondside said...

You certainly have your work cut out for you - and that is not intended to be a bad pun!
I have my favorite cup too, and so does my mum. I guess it goes with tea-drinking.

Andrea said...

Love your cup!

I have an award for you at Arise 2 Write. It is the second post down.

I have a prayer request at All Gods Creatures.

Blessings,
andrea

Terri said...

I can appreciate how much work it is to have sheep. I am glad you have your trusty tea cup to get you through your busy day! It is a delightful cup, all those pictures!
Best wishes on the sorting and spinning.
Hugs,
Terri

Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy said...

Hi Kathy,

Oh, I love that last picture the most. I used to have a cup just like that, but it was pink and white ... the handle and shape were the same. I keep my old favorite cups forever too.

Wow, what a lot of wool you have! That does look like it will keep you busy for a long time. Your hands will be soft though, won't they?

Take care, God bless, and have a wonderful day!

Kathy

Pellie / Penny said...

Wonderful working cup - I also showed my tuffy hard working cups today. Great minds think alike. Teehee

Hugs,
Penny

Debbie said...

Your sheep are glad they're not up near Chicago. I'm there now and I'm wearing all the fleece I can find!
Enjoy your tea!

Connie said...

This post reminds me of the nursery rhyme, "Baa Baa Black Sheep." Except that you have 12 bags full instead of 3! :D Great pictures, Kathy. I think they would be cold without their fleece this time of year, but I'm sure it is colder here than there, so I expect they will be OK.

Debbie-Dabble Blog and A Debbie-Dabble Christmas said...

Cute tea cup! Cute sheep!! I don't envy you with all of the work you have to do!
Warmly,
Debbie

Vickie said...

Glad you got your sheep all sheared, Kathy. You DO have alot of work to do to get that wool ready for production into something beautiful!

Your teacup must be your favorite everyday cup. It looks well-worn and well used AND well-loved!

Dolores said...

That's a neat cup.....I have a favorite one too.

Your little sheep look so clean and pretty.
Looks like you have your work cut out for you...
Blessings,

Sandi@ Rose Chintz Cottage said...

Hello Kathy,
I see your kitty cat is still watching the snow fall outside your window! What a charming picture it makes!
Sounds like you are a very busy lady! I have always loved sheep! Every Summer, on the way to the Beach, we drive past a field full of grazing sheep, and I just love seeing them!
Nice to have your 'work cup' with you while you're sheering your sheep.
I like John Ruskin's quote; great quote and right on!
Thank you for coming by for tea and sharing with us.

Blessings,
Sandi

Andrea said...

Kathy:
@ Therapy dogs. It is such a blessing. The dog must have an excellent temperment and obedience training. Through training you would expose them to some unusual things like fire alarms, things falling, wheelchairs, crutches, etc. It is okay for a dog to startle as in looking to you for reassurance, but in a hospital setting they can't flip out if an IV pole falls over, a patient becomes erratic or out of control, etc. After initial obedience training you would need to train and certify. The best and most widely accepted certification is "Delta." It is not as hard as it sounds although it is work. If you go to my other blog, "All Gods Creatures" and go back to the very early posts you can read many miracle stories of how GOD has used our dogs. You will be greatly moved. The blog address is:
http://andrealuvsallgodscreatures.blogspot.com
Ask questions anytime. I may not have answered your ?s, but maybe this gives you an idea.
Hugs, andrea

parTea lady said...

I love how you describe your wool preparation as a "toil of joy". Your sheep photo is great.

That mug is lovely - chips and all. I like the sturdy handle and pretty scene. I used to drink Red Rose tea in Canada many years ago. Most of the time I also drink my tea in a large, sturdy mug.

Hugs,

Maureen

Eggs In My Pocket said...

Such a cute cup and so are the sheep! Stay warm! blessings,Kathleen

Thistle Cove Farm said...

What a well loved friend you have in your tea cup, Kathy. How's the weather? Are your sheep happy being naked? I always wait until April; it's still cold but, usually, sunny and people and sheep alike find it bearable.

Anonymous said...

Great looking tea cup :-)

When we were kids my mother would have tossed a chipped cup in the trash. You must really love that cup :-)

Take care and have a nice day :-)

~Ron
*******

Martha's Favorites said...

Hi: I love the cute little sheep. You are one lucky lady. The tea cup is adorable too. Thank you for your faithfulness to Tea Cup Tuesday. Always better because of you. Blessings, Martha

Lady Jane said...

You certainly have a lot of work to do... NOW THATS A TEA CUP...

Paula said...

I love your tea cup, Kathy... and your sheep are so beautiful after they've been sheared! Look at those gorgeous spots!
I know you have a lot of work ahead of you, but I can't help but think you must be a little excited thinking about all the wonderful "wooly" projects in your future!