Skip to main content

Don't Let Anyone Pull the Wool Over Your Eyes--Come See For Yourself

Somewhere in the blur of Christmas parties and Farmer's Markets, we had some of our sheep shorn. We always shear our ewes before lambing, and these 20 Suffolk ewes are due to lamb starting in early February. Timothy has taken over for Nick, who had the audacity to shear for us just long enough to work his way through college and get a good job far away.

We had a TV crew here briefly, filming a spot to advertise our shearing day open house (March 2--mark your calendars!). I can hardly believe the things we get ourselves into--TV crews and big annual events at the farm.




Why do we do it? It's important for us to show the process of farming. Many people will tell you things about farming that "ain't necessarily so." Unless you can see farming practices yourself, and meet the farmers who care for the land and the animals, you are at the mercy of the latest blog post, newspaper article, or YouTube video.

Farming is a messy, heartbreaking lifestyle. It's also an amazing, joy-filled lifestyle. When you come to visit us, you will smell what a barn smells like after it's had 100 sheep living in it for 2-3 months. You will see baby lambs and their mothers. You will watch sheep fight to get away from the shearer, and then lay still while he works. Then you will see those same sheep jump up and run off to join their friends. You will check out the inside of a fleece--snowy white--and the outside of a fleece with a year's worth of oils and dirt in it. Not so snowy white anymore.

I encourage you to come and see what a working farm is like. We'll clean things up a bit, and pray like crazy that it won't be muddy that day. Be prepared for something much messier and louder and smellier--and more wonderful--than you can imagine.

Comments

  1. We LOVE shearing day! Wouldn't miss it!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Have you posted more details yet? I'm planning on being there as long as the drive around Lake Michigan is not impeded by terrible weather that weekend! Time? Place? Should I email separately? I look forward to meeting you, Lona.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I have not posted more details yet, but when I do, they will be easily accessible under the "events" tab at the top of the main page of the blog. (I know, it blends in well, with all the other busyness.)

    In a nutshell, it is a come-and-go sort of thing, and we'll be open from 9-3 on March 2 (a Saturday). You will want to dress warmly, and in old clothes. You will smell like a barn when you leave, so keep that in mind. More details to come, I promise. =)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks, Lona. I'll keep my eyes peeled.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Bloggy Giveaway--Now Closed

**This bloggy giveaway is now closed** Thanks to all who participated and gave such great comments. Janette is the winner of the $15 gift certificate to our etsy store . I'm participating in the Bloggy Giveaways Quarterly Carnival . Click the link to go to the carnival where you can enter to win literally hundreds of things. The good news is that even if you have no time to play on the computer trying to win hundreds of things, you can still enter to win one thing right here. This week, I will be giving away a $15 gift certificate to be used toward the purchase of an item in my etsy shop . This contest is open to residents of the United States or Canada only. The winner will receive free shipping on whatever item they choose. Items in my etsy shop include handwoven rugs, wool yarns and roving from our farm, and the ever-popular cotton dishcloth! To be entered in this wonderful drawing, you must go to the etsy shop and look around a bit. Then come back here and type a comment that

Haying 101

A few posts back, "deep end of the loom" (love that name!) asked me to tell a bit more about the haying process. If you want my version, read on. If you'd like to read the official wikipedia version, click here . Haying happens in three steps: cutting, raking and baling. This process takes several days, as the hay must be dry when baled. Moist hay molds and heats up and has even been known to spontaneously combust, burning down the barn. Gotta have dry hay. This first photo is of our haybine. The haybine not only cuts the hay, it also crimps each piece of long grass in several places, to allow for faster drying. We usually cut hay in the early afternoon, when the dew is gone. When we're done, long row of cut grass lie waiting. The hay is allowed to dry for two to three days, depending on wind and sun conditions. Obviously, the more wind and sun the days hold, the quicker the hay will dry. When we feel like the hay is nearly dry, we go out with the rake. There are diff

This Giveaway Is Now Closed!

Today starts a giveaway at Farming in the Shade! I am happy to contribute this complete hat kit (needles not included) to someone who has a knitting obsession and a small person in their life. Here are the rules (contest open to US or Canada residents only): Giveaway ends May 1 at 9 p.m. EST. Winner will be announced by Sunday, May 3. Enter by posting a comment on this blog post. Tell me something about your knitting--who taught you to knit, your favorite yarn, the coolest thing you ever knitted. Make sure you leave contact information! Earn extra entries by: 1) Following me on twitter. (If you don't know what twitter is, don't worry. It's another way to waste your time on the computer.)  Add a comment here so I will count it as one entry. 2) Tweeting this giveaway (no more than once daily). Add a comment here so I know you did it. 3) Blog about this giveaway. Add a comment (with link) here so I can go visit your blog. 4) Follow or subscribe to this blog (or tell me if have