Hat Season

We're gearing up for some sort of hit from Sandy here along the coast, and hopefully we won't have much damage or lose power for long if at all. Some day a generator would be nice, but until then the candles, lanterns and charged cell and computer will suffice. The sheep barn has two windows that face   southeast and have been open all summer, so I am deciding to board them up as I have in the past for winter months or put some plexiglass in them. Tomorrow will be the day I decide and do whatever needs to be done, as the weather is supposed to start in on Sunday. Weekends never seem long enough.

These are some nice shots of the hats - thanks Katie for taking them!

These are some much better photos of the hats that I delivered to the shop in town, and I've had a few requests for commissions since - so hat season is in full swing. Since the Sunday will be a wash and outside chores will be out of the question, the needles will be clicking away inside at the Salty Ewe.

knit lids!

I am so happy to have some hats in a really great shop in Dock Square called Daytrip Society (www.daytrip.com) again this year; I dropped them off this week and was thrilled to hear she'd displayed them on the front table the next morning!  Jessica also has a shop around the corner, Daytrip Jr. and am hoping to maybe have some small hats in that shop as well. We'll see. The excitement of having the hats out there gives my sheep a purpose which feels good after so many years of strictly hobby farming.

Letting Go

It was a big day here at the Salty Ewe, and even though I knew this day was coming, the reality of it didn't hit until after it was all over. Three sheep, including little Aztec the ram, were loaded into a truck this morning and then headed off for their new home in Northern Maine. A really great young couple is starting out with sheep, and they're adding a couple of other rescued crosses to their new starter flock. So, even though it is hard to see them go - but probably harder just letting go in general - knowing they will be well cared for and loved makes it all a lot easier.  Having some control when you have to let go seems to make it all a little easier. So, I am thankful to have had that this time around.

final pull from the garden yesterday

The cold came quickly, as promised. A hard frost on Friday night had me pulling up armloads of beans and peas in the dark - and the carrots and last bit of greens came up yesterday. The sun was out all day, but it took a good chunk of the morning for the frost to disappear from the lowest and most shady spots in the field. It was a full day of working in the gardens, reflecting on a summer that came and went with a blur. Summers can be that way sometimes.
The days are getting shorter now and many trees have lost their leaves completely, while others hang on with a tenacity that defies windy odds. I like those leaves the best; the strong ones. The sturdy and healthy stems will give way when they're ready. No sooner. And, then they will let go, too.

sharing sheep

Tomorrow, a woman will come to see the flock and decide how many she will take home. I'm gifting a small starter flock to someone who's come highly recommended and am looking forward to meeting her and having her meet the sheep. While losing some of these guys will be hard, it's the responsible thing to do and will benefit all of the sheep in the end - not to mention the pasture and mucking pieces.

ending another growing season

Today will be spent cleaning out some beds and preparing for the garlic planting, which may need to happen sooner than usual given the forecast. A cold, long winter's ahead -  snow is being forecast for  some places in Maine in coming days. But, here along the coast it is a perfect fall morning. Birds are active collecting berries and seeds and we've seen deer more than twice on morning walks in the past week. Henry usually sees them first, and someday he will not chase them. I am convinced. Almost two now, his puppy behavior is slow to subside.

The maples are vibrant and the oak trees are dropping acorns like mad, the metal roof of the barn sounding like a novice steel drum band some afternoons.
The changing rhythm, the shift in season pulls us along and the comfort of preparing for the coming winter adds to the richness of the season. Warm, foggy fall nights will subside to frost soon enough.

Changing Seasons

The first day of Fall has always been one of my favorite days. This year, I ventured to the Common Ground Fair on a Saturday and ushered in Autumn with familiar comfort. Being there with someone who had never experienced an agricultural fair before added to the day for sure and brought the reminder that the shift in seasons brings with it changes of all kinds for people, animals and plants alike. Sometimes embracing those changes is a struggle that seems insurmountable, but the natural flow of change and the rhythm of the seasons wins out in the end every time. Being still enough to find the truth is the trick.

The flock has grown to uncomfortable numbers, and letting go is hard but necessary; the winnowing process is never fun. More to come on new homes and autumnal occurrences as the salty shepherd finds the writing rhythm again.

Borrowed Images

He's such a charmer.

Hercules.

People often stop and take pictures of the sheep, and the other day a nice couple pulled up and admired them for quite a while; these images arrived yesterday - and, since my camera is still not working, it's great to be able to post a few images of the sheep after the shearing. Thanks to the photographer!

Callie is doing well - her cut seems healed and she's not showing any signs of fever or discomfort. And, the two ewes who were unsure on their newly pedicured hooves are just about back to their normal gaits.

Shearing and Wool

Shearing day can sometimes be stressful, and this year seemed especially so. With so many sheep and so few shearers in this area, the Links are in demand - no doubt because they are so good. The father and son team have close to 75 years' experience between them (or more) and they shear the majority of flocks, large and small, in southern Maine. With the wet weather and complications of scheduling so many people, it was a challenging spring for everyone in terms of shearing I think. The call came twelve hours before they were coming to my place, and I was out of town for eleven of those.

before shearing...

So, the power cord came out and tarps - everyone was in the barn from the night before - so gathering them was not a problem. All fourteen of them were done within two hours, and the barn felt twice as big last night when they were all in for the night. For the first time in ten or more years, we had a significant cut, though; Callie, my eldest ewe, apparently kicked and the angle was just right (or all wrong) and she lost a bit of blood. I was not as prepared as I should have been so we used corn starch to stop the bleeding; and, the lanolin acts as the best healing agent around. She was up and grazing within seconds and showed no signs of lethargy, but I'm going to need to keep a close eye on her for a while and may get some antibiotics to be sure she doesn't get an infection. Poor old girl. I did worse that she did, and the shearers were a little unnerved by my less-than-stoic-shepherdness, but oh well.  Her fleece will still be gorgeous after it's skirted and cleaned, and I will probably set it aside as an homage to her this year. I'm glad it's all over. And, so are they. Much more comfortable for them - and since we're finally having some warmer weather, it's great to have them sheared.

It's always good to see how they're looking underneath all that wool, and they are in excellent shape. The Poulin grains have made a difference in their fleeces, I think; in spite of a warm winter, the wool looks just fine - not much different length than other years. Hercules has a less springy, crimpy fleece - and it is gorgeous with those spots. His tail, all cut close, is absolutely beautiful. I will have to try to get some pictures to post. He's quite a specimen. And, a romeo, too. From the looks of those shaved bellies, we may have a few fall lambs here. Not at all what I'd planned...so, we'll see.

ultimately...this.  gorgeous naturally dyed,  hand spun yarn.

I'm looking at a new mill that may be able to spin this very fine, short fiber and am eager to see what they are able to do. The specialty yarn niche is something that intrigues me and looking into whether we could make a name for ourselves here at the Salty Ewe in that department. The gorgeous hanks of hand spun yarns that Lori (walkingwool.blogspot.com) has done up for me are incredible and a joy to knit my hats from - but with fourteen fleeces - something's got to give.
Stay tuned.