Who is Orange Sink?

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Rice Lake, WI, United States
My home town is Rice Lake, a small town in northern Wisconsin. I own Red House Wool Studio~ an in-home wool and rug hooking business. I enjoy collecting and decorating with antiques and primitives. Orange Sink Blog is a journal of my interests and ramblings about life. Cathy Greschner

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Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Hooking 'Till The Cows Come Home!

Saundra  and Lorena

"Till the cows come home!"  Ever wonder where that saying came from?  Having grown up on a dairy farm in northern Wisconsin I think I may know the answer!  I can remember our dear milking cows each summer being pastured in the "back forty" acres on the farm.  They had to amble through a couple of wooded acres to reach the pastures. I remember the dirt paths being worn smooth from the daily plodding of hooves  except for the  gnarly roots of some of the big oaks which stuck up out of the ground. We kids running barefoot to go fetch the herd back home for milking time had to step gingerly or risk broken toes. One summer a broken toe forced me to wear house slippers for shoes for most of the summer!  By the time school started in the Fall I was able to wear my regular shoes again.
But I digress!   The point is it took a long while for those cows to plod single file back to the barn. Sometimes my Dad would holler " Come boss" and bang on an empty  metal feed bucket and they would start the journey on their own.  But most days we kids and the farm dog would be forced to go the couple of miles through the woods to wave our arms and nip at their heels to try and speed them up a little!
Lately around the Red House Wool Studio here in my home the ladies have gathered less frequently to hook as the hot humid days have taken their toll.  But a few days ago Saundra and Lorena  stopped by and we had a nice gab session and some fun picking wool colors for their current rugs they are hooking. Saundra is working on a long rug for a bench that faces the lake scene outside her window. The design is of course the lake scene itself. Saundra drew this on the linen and is working with a size 6 strip for lots of detail. So far it is looking fabulous.  
Lorena who lives by a lake also is working on a rug for in front of their wood parlor stove. The design is depicting a loon on the water and she drew this design on the linen  also.  Theses ladies are artists!  They learned to hook in Florida where each of them spend a portion of the winter.  They found me through my blog and have been joining me and my students here for our hooking sessions. 
Hooking and hooking "till the cows come home"!  
As for me I have been hooking and hooking also! 
I finished a new rug I designed and have decided to release a paper pattern for it. The paper pattern is almost ready.......  hopefully by the end of this week.  In any event look for a post shortly where I will show you the rug!  
As you've probably noticed if you've been following my blog..... things sometimes take me awhile to get done..... like waiting for those durn cows to come home!

Cathy G




9 comments:

  1. Cute post! I'm glad that Saundra and Lorena are good sports about hooking in the heat! They are creating great pieces and keeping you company. Looking forward to seeing your newest design.

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  2. What a great memory to share Cathy!...not many kids see any like to this today...how life changes. Just like the weather...it'll be cool shortly, that's when I'll likely be doing some hooking..anxious to see your new rug and pattern...have a great day!

    blessings,
    Ronda
    http://earlythreadworks.wordpress.com

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  3. I miss the days when there were fence rows and the cows went out to pasture and sheltered under the tree. Nowdays more and more in our area the cows are kept in 'loafing barns' stuck in their stalls and hardly ever get to enjoy the grass. Come to think of it, kids don't go outside and play much any more either. Running barefoot. Heaven Forbid!!! Didn't people our age have the best of childhood???
    Lovely rugs! Good way to spend a quiet summer afternoon.

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  4. LOL! My Dad (who is now 82) always told me to be home before the cows came home! He also told me should I go swimming to be sure to hang my clothes on a hickory limb - still tells me this along with 100's of other things! LOL Can't wait to see your new pattern! And barefoot - I still run around barefoot when I can (when you have feet as wide as mine - shoes are way to confining! Great hookers you have in your area!

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  5. So COOL to see another Saundra with the same spelling as mine, our spelling is a rarity as I found out today at the DMV.

    Oh but I remember riding on a boney back cow at my friend's house as a teen. She was a sweet old gentle cow but sure did have a hard bony back bone. Thanks for travel back in time.

    Saundra

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  6. Cute! My son in laws family has a ranch and reminds me of the stories he has shared. Happy last few weeks of summer. Blessings~Sara

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  7. I feel like a blog star!!!! Oops! Lorena and I may have come in second to Dave's outstanding photo of the cows in the stream!

    Oh, and I want to meet the other Saundra who follows your blog.
    Saundra

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  8. Thanks for the fond memories; the lumpy Jersey I rode was named June! Can't resist sharing a couple of riddles:
    Q: Why is it time to go to bed when the cows come home?
    A: Because it's pasture bedtime

    Q: Why did they outlaw those round bales?
    A: The cows weren't getting a square meal.

    (Sorry!)

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