Nothing Like the Threat of Snow

With every change of season there comes a whole host of chores that need to be done. Though we know this happens every year, we never seem to get everything done in a relaxed, timely fashion. This fall is no exception. The list of things to get done before winter sets in has been just as long as ever. Friday afternoon I began hearing reports of s _ _ _. (I almost hate to actually write the word for fear that my extended fall season will come to an abrupt end.) The reports said that we could have as little as 4 inches and as much as 10 inches. That lit a fire under me as many of my fall chores need to be done before the snow sets in.

Bunny hutches in the barn

With this forecast looming over my head, I enlisted the help of my daughter in moving the bunny cages to the protection of the barn. This involved scrubbing each cage, grain trays, and water bottles and then carrying them into the center part of our barn. The barn protects them from the intense wind and blowing snow that howls all winter long on our hillside farm. After about an hour's time-both bunnies were snug in their winter quarters.

Unloading hay

Some years I have no trouble getting hay purchased and delivered by the end of August. This was not one of those years. We found a source for hay early on and actually had our first load delivered in a timely fashion but then the farmer's tractor broke. As September came and went, I began to realize that I needed to find a different source for the remaining 300 bales. I finally located another farmer, further away, that had just cut a beautiful load of second cut hay. It sat loaded on his trailer, we simply needed to coordinate our schedules with the weather for a delivery. September came and went and October came. We had trouble coordinating both our son's soccer schedules and mother nature to make a delivery. He called this past weekend to tell us about a different farmer that lived closer to us who had hay available. So we turned to farmer number three-and began picking up the remainder hay 25 bales at a time in our pick up truck. 

Rolling up fencing

The other task to be done before the ground gets covered in snow-is to pick up temporary fencing. My husband went from field to field rolling up the flexible netting that subdivided our pastures for summer grazing. Then, I went to work rolling up the temporary fencing which extends beyond our permanent fence into a hay field. Our sheep graze a little on the hay field after the second cutting of hay. 

Our ram-Jethro

Lastly, the time had arrived to put our ram in with our ewes. We sold our ram, Elijah, and he goes to his new home this week. We had to move all of the sheep around to bring him to the barn so we could take him to the vet for his health certificate. I felt it was only logical to go ahead and separate our breeding groups while we had all the sheep in the paddock and barn. Though we usually hold off until the second week of November-I am excited to have lambs arriving in March this year instead of April. Jethro seems quite happy to be with the girls a couple weeks early as well.

All of these chores have been on our list for many weeks. With fall soccer and me making trips with my daughter to look at colleges, we have not been home on a weekend to begin to scratch any off the list. The chore list always seems to get done though-one way or another and there is nothing like the threat of snow to hurry things along.

Time 

Time is a funny thing. We seem to be either waiting for time to catch up to us or we are wondering how time passed us by.  This past weekend, we attended our oldest daughter’s college for "Parent’s Weekend". She is a sophomore attending a college 15 hours away from our little hillside farm.  This weekend,  I came to realize that we, my husband and I,  have entered  into a  transition period passing from one phase of life to another and wondering how did time get away with us. With two children still at home, I feel we have one foot in each door. One foot maintains our home schooling efforts at home and the other foot tests the waters of the “empty nest” with children living far away.

Where has time gone? Wasn’t it yesterday that our oldest daughter entered into our lives? It seems only a few weeks ago that I had little ones underfoot, chattering endlessly, standing on chairs in the kitchen to help me bake bread or wash dishes. Surely it was only last year that we lay in the floor tracing our bodies on paper, or dressed in Roman togas, or sat at our dining room table chanting grammar rhymes or Latin noun declensions. And now-I find myself at a college campus for Parent’s Weekend with a bright eyed 19 year old by my side.

Parents and younger siblings stood out awkwardly on the college campus as collegiate life whizzed around us. Our daughter attends the nation’s only college which does not accept any federal or state funding. Because of this, the college has maintained its autonomy and dedication to “pursuing truth and defending liberty”. The campus abounds with enthusiastic youth, determined to make a difference in the world and to rise above mediocrity. Their dress, attitudes, respect for their professors and one another, conversations, and love for learning reveal that they strive for excellence in all they do and represent. By the end of our weekend, I felt a sense of hope for our nation, knowing that with time- these youth will be our future leaders, teachers, politicians, business men and women and great thinkers.

Trying to Find the Balance

Home School Mom and Wife

Shepherd/Farmer

Business Woman (yarn sales and B&B owner)

A cold drizzle misted my windshield as I drove to the fairgrounds last weekend for the Vermont Sheep Festival. I wondered who would venture out on such a cold and wet day to attend a festival which required walking muddy fairgrounds from building to building. The previous day, I had packed all of my yarn and knitted samples into the back of my van and headed over to get my 10 foot by 10 foot booth set up. I tired not to feel intimidated as I looked at the back of my van ...

 and then the empty space which I had to fill.

 Somehow, I had to transform this space into a yarn shop which characterized our farm and highlighted our products inviting the festival goer to enter. The vendors around me seemed to have a good handle on their booths as they had already begun to fill them with colorful yarn. First, I arranged the tables....

Then, began to unload and empty the many boxes which filled my van....

I had decided to focus upon the lovely natural colors of our yarn. I resisted the temptation to dye any yarn to bring along this year as I am finding much pleasure in the warm browns, creams, and lovely soft grays of our yarn. The next step was to add some color to our booth by hanging the needle felted murals that our summer camp children have made over the years.

The goal of the murals was to pull people in to the booth. Once there, they would begin to look around them at the yarn on the tables. I placed a small sign at the end of the table near the aisle which read, "Yarn Tasting". In front of each basket of yarn, I put a small ball of the yarn cast on to knitting needles with a sample knit.

At last, the booth was ready and I had gone home to tend to our Bed & Breakfast guest who would be arriving soon.

As I pulled into the fairgrounds on Saturday morning, I wondered what the weekend would be like. Would people come out to the festival? The weather man had predicted cold rain all weekend. Within about 15 minutes of opening the festival on Saturday, the buildings began to fill with people. I noticed a cheery mood among the fiber folks who attended. Groups of women and men gathered in the aisles of the vendor hall talking and laughing. They carried bags and totes which they filled with fiber, yarn, and amazing trinkets and hand woven items. In my booth, I felt that people were looking to support the small Vermont family farms. There was much interest in what we do on our farm and our yarn. I found that people could not resist picking up the knitting needles and adding a few rows to each sample. One woman laughed when she saw the "Yarn Tasting" sign and joined in the fun of knitting!

I sold several yarn CSA shares over the weekend to individuals who wanted to invest in our farm and join us in our efforts. A few people inquired about our summer camps and fiber classes and a woman who runs summer camps in the neighboring town talked of collaborating next summer to expand both of our camp offerings.

The entire weekend proved to be busy with many people attending the festival and stopping to talk with us. I should have known that a little drizzle would not keep fiber folks away from a festival which promoted Vermont's agricultural roots!