New Shepherds!!

Our first AgEx Shareholders (Agricultural Experience) visited our farm a couple of weeks ago! This couple would like to add sheep to their property and wanted to learn all that they could about shepherding. Their day of instruction centered around topics such as: fencing, shelters, parasite control, rotational grazing, basic sheep care, and lambing.

We sent them home with a notebook full of livestock catalogs, journal articles, and various resource lists. At the end of their stay with us, they were even more convinced that they wanted to start their own flock of sheep!

Last Friday, Kate Smith from the Marshfield School of Weaving, came over to help me warp up the barn loom. It has almost been three months since we brought the barn loom home from NY. Kate has worked with antique barn looms for many years. She has become an expert textile artist and uses only antique barn looms in the weaving school. I stood with my camera in hand snapping pictures at every new step in hopes that once she is gone I will remember how to warp the loom by myself. The two of us worked for about four hours until at last the loom was warped. It felt great to finally be able to sit at the loom and weave. As Kate was leaving the studio, she hesitated and said, "somehow, I always feel they are happier once they have been warped." I had to agree, the room felt cheerier, and the loom looked absolutely beautiful sitting there with a warp on it.

Mending

Thirteen years ago, my mother bought me a very nice Bernina sewing machine. At that time in my life, sewing clothes for toddlers and quilting occupied much of my time. My machine saw mostly pretty cotton fabric for little girls and lightweight denim for my son's rompers. On occasion I made little tote bags to carry swim suits to the pool or baby doll blankets.

Today, I pulled out my Bernina sewing machine to do some mending. Who would have guessed 13 years ago that I would one day mend sheep coats on my machine. During the winter months when we feed hay to the sheep, I like to keep coats on them. This keeps their fleeces free of vegetation matter. Over the years, the coats get torn and their elastic gives out. The past few days, I have finally tended to some long over due sheep coat mending. With coats on all winter, the fleeces will be beautiful for this spring's shearing.

Getting to Know the Farm

I want to thank each of our share holders who purchased llama/wool yarn CSA shares in the past week. Their over whelming concern for the loss of our Mama Llama and their desire to see us replace her encouraged all of us on Grand View Farm! As my daughter says, "you rock"!



Our share holders together purchased Terra for our farm!! This past Tuesday, Mystic Moon Farm delivered both Alaska and Terra to our farm. We have been keeping them in the barn, taking them for daily walks as they adjust to their new surroundings.

Alaska weighs 400 pounds and seems to tower above me. Her calm and gentle spirit soothes everyone around her. Alaska's space in the barn is right next to where our two little angora does live. One morning the goats escaped their pen and I found them standing next to Alaska eating from her hay bucket.



The goats didn't even come up to her knee and looked so tiny next to her massive size. Alaska didn't seemed concerned at all by their presence and just stood very still next to them. I must say that our Mama Llama would have chased them away from her hay and probably would have spit on them in the process.



Terra is a two year old gelding. His beautiful face and inquisitive look pulls you into the barn. He loves his treks outside though seems very jumpy and nervous. I can tell that it will take him longer to settle in to his new surroundings.



Today almost everything caused him to jump and do a little side step as we walked-the sound of a woodpecker, a car coming down the road, the wind blowing his hair, and the sheep running- all gave him a start. Luke remained calm as he lead him along and encouraged Terra to take it all in as part of getting to know the farm-his new home.