Farming in the shade

Shady Side Farm will host our Annual Shearing Day on Saturday, March 5th from 9 am - 3 pm (come and go as you wish.) Our farm is located at 13275 Blair Street, Holland, Michigan. We will be shearing our Polypay sheep that day, and our open house is geared toward folks who want to see shearing on a working farm and learn more about wool production. This event is free. Fiber artists will demonstrate their work, and wool products (roving, yarn, socks, etc.) will be available to purchase in our little on-farm shop.  The open house is suitable for families and folks of all ages, though very small children sometimes are bothered by the noise and smells of a sheep barn. Wear old clothing and dress warmly. We shear in a barn. :) For blog posts and photos about other years' shearing days, click here .

There's nothing like spring on the farm. It's a love/hate relationship, to be sure. In this photo, The Farmer had just brought a bale of hay to the cattle--something he has done successfully and without incident, all winter long. This time was different, though. A couple of days of very warm (50s!) temperatures melted all the snow, and turned the solid ground into something much less than solid. Of course, it was just before we needed to go somewhere. He texted me, and asked me to meet him at the pasture gate--he was going to get the tractor, after removing the snowblower that was mounted on it. I don't think I've ever driven this tractor--it's the new Kubota--and, after a 15 second lesson and the application of some log chain, I was in charge of pulling the skidsteer out of the mud. Fortunately, I didn't muck it up too badly, though there were some tense seconds. Never a dull moment.

Therefore  lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees,   and  make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint  but rather be healed.   Strive for peace with everyone, and for the  holiness  without which no one will see the Lord.  --Hebrews 12:12-14 A couple of days ago, a friend emailed me to check for life signs. She keeps up with me in part by reading this blog. And she told me she was getting tired of seeing the same Christmas greetings each time she checked the blog. Okay, Leslie. I get the hint. :) Each year my January is a time for recuperation after a year of blistering busyness. Many days this winter I intended to blog, but the days off stretched into weeks. As time went by, I found I had less and less to say.  It's not so much a funk, as it is just a general tiredness. I feel like I've blogged our life over and over and there isn't much to say that hasn't already been said. And I am not sure what t