Maryland Sheep and Wool

We just learned that due to fire regulations and new tent rules our booth, which has been in the same place for 15 years, has been moved. #%^*!$%&** is all I have to say. How do I tell my customers that I am now in the drylands near the yurt? I've toyed with the idea of placing a kid in a sandwich board with directions to my booth at the old location. Molly says she'll put it on my web site and I'll put it on my blog for what that's worth. Any suggestions????

Scarlett O'Hara

We ran out of kindling. Everything here is soaking wet so sticks just weren't doing it. While throwing hay down the chute,my eye caught the pile of old chairs Bill had purchased at an auction years ago. Representing many centuries and styles, the chairs were in all forms of disrepair. AH HA kindling. Openning the loft door, I began pitching chairs out into the barnyard. That's when I felt akin to Scarlett O'Hara and began reciting lines from Gone With The Wind. (Scarlett tells Prissy to burn the fine family heirlooms in order to keep warm.) These weren't exactly fine family heirlooms but I'm sure there is a lot of history in those chairs. Oh well, no more searching for dry sticks! The best part is I now can get thru the loft up to the hay without climing over piles of chairs. I'm inspired to read Gone With the Wind again too.

January Thaw!!!!

Warm...sunny...and great. Working in the barn is a joy on a day like this. I had hoped to get the Bobcat out and clean the barnyard but the mud is so bad that I'll be mired down on my first trip out to the dump site. (My brothers think it amusing that I love to drive my skid steer loader.)Instead I just worked in the barn and prepared for lambing. Two BFL ewes look really close. Guess the nights of walking to the barn several times will be upon me soon. My friend Emma who is 77 and has raised sheep for 50+ years tells stories of lambing 500 ewes and weeks sleeping in her quarters in the barn complete with cot,heater and coffee pot. Makes lambing about 60 ewes seem like a piece of cake. Emma lambs about 20 now because can't give up the joy and excitement of lambing season. It's like Christmas going out to the barn each time to see what you'll find. I use monitors so the sounds give me a clue as to what to expect but seeing newborn lambs up and about is so rewarding. I tell people I work for 5 cents and hour raising sheep but it is such a joy...most of the time. Like Emma, I couldn't imagine a year without lambs and all the joy, frustration,anxiety and exhaustion that goes with it.

PA Sheep to Shawl Competition

PA Farm Show is a 94 year old farm fair held in of all months...January. One of the biggest crowd drawing shows is the Sheep to Shawl Competition, which has been part of the Farm Show for 31 years.
Yesterday's competition was another fiber inspiration. 5 youth teams competed in the morning and 5 adult teams in the afternoon. The youth teams differ only in that they are fleece to shawl. No live sheep to be sheared. This year,being one of 3 judges was a joy! There is such excitement about fiber. The fact that there were 5 youth teams competing was amazing. These kids were really good too! Sooo creative! For all the details and pictures of this event go to yarnymarni.wordpress.com
Was I surprised when the BFL ewe awarded to Art Lester in the 2008 for his winning essay was brought in to be sheared for the Treadlers in Time team! I love seeing my former lambs as adults and Ava was still sporting all her Potosi Farm tags. She was beautiful and healthy. This team made a lovely all BFL shawl. I accused the team of trying to bribe the judge and we had a great laugh. The man who sheared her won the shearing award! Ava was a calm candidate with no leg wool and belly wool to deal with. The other shearers had fiesty Shetlands, big Romneys and wooly crossbreds. All had beautiful fleeces. And the shawls produced were OOOO LA LA. Wish I could have afforded any one of them at the auction after the event but the cheapest one sold for $175. Every team produced a true work of art that would be a treasure to own and wear.

2010 Lambing Begins

Went to the barn this morning to find Madeline,an 8 year old moorit Romney/Merino cross in the midst of lambing.In her usual easy independent style, Madeline popped out 2 beautiful black ewe lambs (sired by my CarryHouse V2 ram). Don't you just love ewes like this? Great mother, beautiful long 8 pound lambs and nothing for me to do but move them to a lambing pen and dip navels. Wish it was always this easy.

2010 Rovings Arrived

I have tried some new colorways for the new decade. All rovings are 100% BFL and vegetation free. The carding was done by Heather Lathrop at Dreamweaver Creations in NY. Thanks, Heather.

Roving prices are $2.50 an ounce or $36 a pound.

Just What I Need

My husband's granddaughter moved home from Taos,NM bringing her horse. He is staying with us til Sarah gets a place for him. I have no idea what to do with a horse! In fact, this is exactly how I got into sheep 22 years ago. My friend's flock came for temporary housing and never left. Is this Deja Vu? The shetlands are so afraid of him that most of them refused to come in to eat this morning. Just the sight of Joe in the next pasture sent them darting in all directions. My Shetlands are wild.
Molly is thrilled. She has wanted a horse since she spent Thanksgiving with the Lloyd family in Colorado. Look what you have gotten me into, Jared.