Farming in the shade

Saturday morning we woke to a new dusting of snow. Hooray! No mud! And the people came... Good thing we live on a not-busy gravel road. The shearer started his work. He had 116 sheep to shear, and no time to waste. Here he was sharpening his blades so they cut the wool better. In the foreground of the photo, you can see our skirting table. We laid each fleece out to pick off the dirtiest wool before putting the rest in a large bag. The Farmer talked with those who came, answering their questions, and administered vaccinations. We had a great crew of helpers. Wally answered questions and made sure folks got out of the way when each finished sheep came through. John and John herded the sheep up the chute. Sara and Kami helped with skirting the wool, herding the just-shorn sheep back to their pens, showing off the lambs, sweeping the floor and answering questions. Tom swept off the shearing stand between sheep. The Polypay sheep were shorn on Saturday. But the Suffolk sheep have been havi...

C an't seem to squeeze in blogging right now, so I'll just put up a re-run advertising our upcoming shearing day. Shearing Day Open House 9 a.m. to noon Shady Side Farm will host our Annual Shearing Day on Saturday, February 26th from 9 a.m - noon (come and go as you wish.) 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. Fiber artists will demonstrate their work, and wool products (roving, yarn, 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. :) Shearing Day Raw Fleece Sale 1 to 3 p.m. In the afternoon, from 1 - 3 p.m., we will be selling fresh raw Polypay fleeces. Our shearing day special is $4.00/lb., whole, skirted, uncoated fleeces...

...and everything in its place. Recently, inspired by our clutter, I made a collection of items for sale on Etsy. It's just a fun way to promote other people's work. You can actually click on the photos and go see more information about the item pictured. Enjoy! And yes, I did put a bunch of stuff back in its place here at Shady Side Farm. 'A place for everything...' by ShadySideFarm And everything in its place. ...

Recently I heard that if every Michigan household would spend $10 on Michigan food each week, an additional $37 million would be infused into our struggling economy. It's no secret that Michigan's economy is in trouble. Just this morning I read the long list of cuts that are proposed by our new governor, and trembled. No one will be unaffected by this, it seems. The one that worries me the most is the farmland preservation tax credit. We will see if we can afford to pay the property taxes on our land if that one passes. But I digress, and bring my worries into this post, which was going to be about shopping locally. When you buy items from a Michigan retailer, you are helping. When you buy Michigan-made or grown products from a Michigan retailer, it's even better! I recently visited a nearby shop in a formerly- (and perhaps still)-dying mall. Tree Huggers is owned by a couple who is passionate about the environment. They realize that part of environmental stewardship is th...

What do farmers do in the winter, when there is no tending the fields, no planting, no harvesting? The taxes are done (whew!), but the organic certification paperwork remains in its mailing envelope, untouched. We're still taxiing the boy to his extra-curricular activities WAY more than we'd like to be. And the lambs are still coming (though at a much slower rate of speed than The Farmer would like to see, to be honest). Actually, the sheep are much more work right now, as they need to be fed and watered and watched. In the summer, other than moving them to fresh pasture, they mind themselves. But the project that has consumed The Farmer this winter more than anything I've seen for a long time is out in the woodshop. He and the boy have been building themselves wood strip-built kayaks. I've almost been jealous of the project, because it's been so consuming. Every free moment is spent out in the shop. I think The Farmer is getting in touch with his inner Carpenter.

The Farmer went off to his market on Saturday, leaving me home (almost) alone. Hmmm...what to do? I decided to kettle dye some yarn. Here are some random photos that give you a peek into the process. In no particular order. All in all I dyed 23 skeins of chunky and aran wool yarn. It was a very satisfying day.

This is one of two ram lambs born to the ewe that lives at the nearby tech school. The kids in the ag program are getting a hands-on education. This little guy is about two hours old here. More photos later, I promise!