Farming in the shade

Our little community held a special celebration on Saturday in honor of its 150th birthday year. We were asked (along with others) to demonstrate traditional arts. The Farmer and daughter R. are shown spinning wool here. T. is spinning on the Ashford Country, and The Farmer is using his Ashford Traveller. He let a few interested people try their hand at spinning on the larger, slower Country. We had many of our wool products out to show what can be done with wool, as well as a wonderfully educational display board made by a dear friend. I am busy weaving on my newest Union loom. The Farmer and I remarked that we were so busy talking to people that we almost never had a chance to talk with each other. I taught one interested young man the basics of weaving, and let him have at it for a while as I took a break. Behind me is the rug rack used to display my wares. Many folks stopped and talked about their memories of a family member who used to weave. Or their memories of preparing "c...

I had good intentions. But I forgot how EXHAUSTING fair week is. Many days we spent hours at the fairgrounds. Many nights we arrived home, cleaned up and fell into our beds. The week was a blur. So now that I am somewhat recovered from the week, I'll attempt a summary. Wednesday evening, all the animals were sold at an auction. The four sheep are headed for freezer camp. They sold for moderate prices. Enough to cover the expenses, plus a little. Mr. Cow (his real name) was purchased by us, and is now happily romping in the pasture with his buddies. When I understand why we had to purchase a feeder calf that we already owned, I'll explain it to you (shaking my head here). Thursday night S. participated in the Super Showmanship competition. Those who won "Showmanship" in their class are invited to compete in Super Showmanship. Each participant has 2 minutes to show each animal (bunny, chicken, horse, lamb, dairy cow, feeder calf, goat, hog, and dog) and answer questions...

Today S. showed her feeder calf. This is the first year she's shown a calf, and she really knew NOTHING about showing calves (other than what she learned from reading a hand-out that goes over how to show each animal). So this morning, during a lull, she asked a more experienced girl to give her some tips. Here they are, working with the other girl's calf. This is what I love about 4H. My daughter is fairly shy--not wanting to speak to other people any more than she has to. Yet she forced herself to approach this other girl and ask for a lesson. And the other girl was so kind to spend time with her. Here's a photo of S. showing her calf in the ring. And here she is, all happy and relieved when it was over. She took 3rd in her class for showmanship. And the calf won 1st place in the light weight class! Whodathunkit?! We are now done with all the showing. Whew! Tomorrow evening is another big deal, when buyers come and bid on all the animals. It's a bittersweet ending to...

Today was the first day of our county fair. Two of my children show livestock through the 4H program. This afternoon was the sheep show. We had a beautiful day for it; breezy and near 80 degrees. Both children won awards: J. won "rate of gain" for one of his sheep (having to do with how well his sheep packed on the pounds), as well as 1st and 3rd in his class for sheep quality. Notice the ribbons around the lambs' necks and the trophy on the ground in front. S. won "rate of gain" for one of her sheep, as well as 1st in her class for sheep quality. She also won "showmanship" for her class. While the other awards have to do with the quality of the sheep, this award is more about how well she showed her sheep. Did she pay attention to the judge? Did she smile? Was she relaxed? Did she handle her lamb well? Could she answer basic sheep questions that the judge asked? We of course are proud of both of the kids, whether or not they win awards. And, frankly, ...

Yesterday we had a picnic at our farm for a bunch of sheep people. We enjoyed good food and good conversation. After the meal, The Farmer led those who were interested on a tour of the farm. He started with my little workshop. Saturday night, the kids and I put out yarn and roving on the shelves. We hung woven rugs on the rug rack. We filled a basket with wool cat toys. The crocheted purses were on display, as well as the mattress topper and comforter. We laid out a bunch of woolen socks on a table. And I started a roving rug on the new loom. Boy, was that loom a hit! People enjoyed looking at all the things we'd made from our wool, but they literally crowded around the loom where I was weaving. Fun! Here's a photo of the loom in the new workshop. (For a short history of this loom, read the post titled "A Home for Mrs. T's Loom".)

The other night the kids and I spent time at the county fairgrounds, cleaning out the barn with other 4H participants. On the way home, the most spectacular clouds began forming. I was impressed to go straight home and begin securing barn doors and gathering things that might blow away. Once we had battened down the hatches, I ran to get the camera. I have never seen such striking clouds. "When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?" (Psalm 8:3-4) "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands." (Psalm 19:1) "By the word of the Lord were the heavens made." (Psalm 33:6) "In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands." (Psalm 102:25)

Yesterday we spent a majority of the day working with the sheep. We've lost a few lambs to worms, and so it was time to worm them. While we were handling them, we decided to give some of them a pedicure (hoof trimming). We've been trying to do things in a more natural fashion, moving in the direction of organic farming. Here's a perfect example of the struggle between organic and conventional farming. We have our ewes and lambs out on pasture as soon as the grass will support them in the spring. It's a WONDERFUL thing. They feed themselves. They are designed to eat grass. They just THRIVE on the lush spring pastures. But there are parasites, and the sheep (especially the little lambs) will die from them. We've even lost a couple of ewes this year. In theory, it sounds nice to be able say we raise our lambs naturally, without chemicals. But when "naturally" leads to death, how is that humane? Or profitable? On the other hand, dosing every single sheep with ...