Farming in the shade

Sigh... As I posted earlier, we had 2" of heavy rain on top of record-high temperatures on Saturday. This melted all the snow (over 50" in December) and proceeded to flood areas that shouldn't flood, yet again. This is the THIRD 100 year flood in calendar year 2008, and I am quite sure I'm not the only one who is tired of it.  Many people had flooded basements, again. People who don't live anywhere near rivers even had flooded basements--the water simply could not percolate through the semi-frozen ground fast enough. Fields were flooded, again. Fortunately, not much is actively growing at this time. Doesn't this look like a lake? It's a hayfield.  To add insult to injury, a wind storm overnight Saturday left many without power, exacerbating the problem by preventing basement sump pumps (standard equipment in former-swampland western Michigan) from running. All this on top of extremely difficult economic circumstances, and we wonder, "How long?" a...

Despite the incredibly high temperatures which caused all of our snow (approximately 50" in December) to melt within 24 hours PLUS about 2" of fresh rain which turned everything to mud and swirling water... We had a great time shearing sheep Saturday.  We had wonderful help. Lee helped with herding sheep. My father helped with herding sheep. The younger kids also helped with herding sheep and giving annual vaccinations. The sheep all have to be coaxed up a narrow chute/ramp while waiting for their hair cuts. Mary helped by answering questions and narrating the process. Teresa demonstrated spinning in the workshop. Becky demonstrated how she made her wool hooked rugs, also in the workshop. My mother and our two older girls helped with refreshments and purchases and questions. It was wonderful to have all this great help! After we finished shearing, I fed the help and visited with the hangers-on in the workshop. They were having a little fiber pow-wow out there. An Indiana etsi...

Well, the temperature here in Michigan is a record high of 55, and most of our snow is melted. What remains is MUD.  We are still planning to hold the shearing day today, so all you brave souls come on out! Wear mud boots and plan to wash your car afterward...

Our farm has been MAEAP verified for several years. MAEAP stands for Michigan Agriculture Environmental Assurance Program, and it's a voluntary, rigorous third-party certification that assures our customers and neighbors that we're doing the best we can to be good stewards of the environment. I found this news article about another MAEAP verified farm: "With reindeer, horse-drawn wagons and Santa Claus on hand this time of year, Trim Pines Farm in Grand Blanc resembles other choose-and-cut Christmas tree farms scattered throughout southeast Michigan.  "But behind the merriment of the season, owner Mike Yancho takes the business of growing 3,000 Christmas trees seriously. Like an increasing number of farmers across Michigan, Yancho is working to make his 80-acre tree farm more earth friendly." Read more here . 

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living the the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned. --Isaiah 9:2 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. --Isaiah 53:6 But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.  --Romans 3:21-24 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. --John 8:36 My Christmas prayer for you is that you would fully know the incarnation and sacrifice of Christ, the Son of God. Merry Christmas!

**Scroll down to see information about our shearing day on Saturday, December 27.** Okay, so this weekend we got some more great press. Check out the article that ran in Sunday's Grand Rapids Press. Wow--two great articles in the span of a month.  So the phone's been ringing quite steadily with requests (which we can't keep up with) for socks. Today, I had a delightful conversation with a woman who wanted to know why we didn't have any socks listed on our website  that were suitable for her husband or son. You know, "manly socks". I had to laugh. I asked her what "manly socks" looked like. When she gave me some ideas, I told her we have not been able to keep up with the demand, and that all socks, manly and unmanly, have been flying out the door faster than my manly husband can make them.  I chuckled good-naturedly about it all day. So, readers--what does a manly sock look like to you?

Come on out to the farm this Saturday, December 27, to see sheep being shorn. Feel free to come anytime between 9 am and noon--we will be shearing the whole time. Stay as long as you like; leave when you want to. Dress warmly, and wear older clothing--we shear in a barn, and it smells like sheep! We'll answer questions in between herding sheep and shearing and vaccinating and handling the wool. You'll be able to check out a display about the process of turning wool into yarn. We hope to have a spinner or two on hand to demonstrate the craft. We may even have a weaver here working on a rug! Because we are passionate about educating people about farming and wool, there is no admission charge. Donations will be accepted for refreshments (while supplies last) and farm-fresh products will be available for purchase. This event is great for the whole family, though some of the wee ones are too small to appreciate the noise and smells and cold. Please use your judgment when bringing sm...