Froggy

I was really wrong about the foliage...so far, it's been as vivid as last year's, and these dark and foggy days seem to make the colors pop even more. We've had thick fog for the past several days in the morning, with one morning so dense that I could not see the back half of the field until I walked up to it. Temperatures are still warm - hence the fog - and so the sheep are enjoying some good grazing weather still; even though the nutrients in the grass are dwindling, they keep on mowing away. Bill has settled into his pen pretty well, too. He still makes some angry-sounding baa's when the ewes start to graze too far away from him, but they are sticking pretty close to his pen lately. A sure sign that they are ready, too.

We're finally going to get the rain we need tonight and tomorrow - and some high winds, too. I got in a small load of hay yesterday afternoon - in between rainy days. Am hoping to fill the hayloft this weekend, which is always a good feeling. It was a great summer for hay, about the opposite of last summer, and I am loving the quality of the bales that Larry has put aside for me. When I went yesterday afternoon, I saw two baby Chihuahuas - about 3 weeks old. Smallest dogs that I have ever seen. His miniature goat Button is the one who I am always drawn to over there, though. A goat that acts like a dog. I wonder if adding one to my flock would help with some of the weeds.

Those Masks

I wandered over to the Wednesday Spinners Tent while Lori was "lost" in the fleece tent. I had never heard of this group before, and so I was instantly drawn in by a table of natural dye stuffs and some beautiful artifacts on/about dyeing, including some hand bound books with wool samples and notes on the process. It was exactly how I envisioned keeping track of my dyeing experiences, so that was the beginning. As I made my way down the back table, a row of women sat spinning in the front of the tent, three masks appeared before me and totally took my breath away. It's hard to describe how they made me feel - but they brought up all kinds of memories immediately and I found myself standing in front of them, in awe. And then their creator walked up.

Susan Barrett Merrill. One of the Wednesday Spinners. We started to talk - about spinning - and then it turned to weaving and the masks. This one is named "Crow"... many more can be seen in the gallery on her website. The three that were on display at the fair were very different than this one; then again, from what I have seen, each one is very different than the next. The more I read, the more I am intrigued by the masks and everything they represent. It was one of those encounters that seems far from coincidental. Had I not gone on a Friday, it would have been too crowded to have the conversation we had. Maybe we would not have met at all. If I did not have my own sheep and was as enthralled by the Fleece Tent as Lori was, I would not have spent that time in the Spinners Tent by myself. And so it goes. Uncle Herbie was right. I am going back to the family's roots.

Common Ground Fair

I am still digesting my day at the Common Ground Fair. Incredible day all the way around - from the company of my friend Lori to incredible conversations with people I may never see again, it was a full day of everything I love. Such a good feeling to be amongst like minded people, although this year the crowd was much more diverse than what I remembered from years ago.  It's been many years since I have been to the fair; I worked at it for Maine Times when it was in Windsor, and then went twice after it had moved to Unity. Next year, we plan to take two days to do it. The more I think about it now, maybe three for me!  The sheep dog exhibition (made even better by the backdrop of some incredible fiddling from a nearby tent), meeting Kelly from Romney Ridge and Betty from Spinnakees were high points. Seeing the Zati masks...pivotal, I sense.  I made some great connections and gave out a number of my new business cards to fleece people -a whole new experience for me. Signed up to add my name to the Maine Sheep Growers list and think that I will enter some fleeces into the competition and sale next year.
Another thing I am struck by is how much I really enjoyed not having people on cell phones. It was the first time in as long as I can remember being in a group that large and not having thousands of people plugged in. It was so refreshing. Everyone was present...talking to each other, interacting and making eye contact. Soaking in everything there is to see, hear, touch and smell. I loved it. Am sure to be writing more about my unexpected meeting of some Wednesday Spinners and the masks. And the Journey Loom. And the thoughts about how it may all come together someday. It was one of those days that was just so full of positive things that you need to take a few days to process it all.

Falling Leaves and Changing Seasons

It's a beautiful day for the last full day of summer, and while I'm not ready for a new season yet, the beauty of Autumn is already starting to pull me along into October and November. The swamp maples have turned and many have dropped the majority of their leaves by now - at least in Southern Maine - and, the big, old maples are starting to drop theirs, too. I picked up an especially beautiful one the other day and thought I smelled burning wax paper as I held it in my hand, twirling it around and admiring its symmetry and color.
The memories of celebrating changes in the seasons are strong - from making placemats out of colored leaves to blowing out eggs and coloring them, we were always doing something at home to ring in a new season. The snowman that was taller than my parents (by a long shot), the time Nancy K. accidentally lit her hair on fire when we were using wax to decorate our Easter eggs, the Halloween prank that scared some kids so badly that they threw all their candy and went running down our front stairs...all of these times are still so clear in my mind that I can still see and smell and hear the memories.
With time, I know they will fade and become less vivid in my memory. This, too, is part of the changing of the seasons. There's no way to stop it, so accepting and being in the moment is how I am choosing to celebrate these shifts as I grow older. And, with any luck, wiser.

Last Sunday of Summer

the last pull from my garden

Not really ready to put away summer yet, but there's no way around it. The last weekend of the summer has been perfect for working outside and preparing for the coming months, and so that's what I've been doing. Cleaning out the garden is like packing up the car and pulling out of Goose Rocks. The only solace is knowing it was a great summer and that another one will be here soon enough - but, the pangs of pulling up the roots of established eggplants and the tangled vines of cucumber and squash always make me a little sad (not to mention sore the following morning).

As I weeded and pulled out bolted lettuce and various vegetables, I tossed a few treats in to Bill. He loves the carrot tops and tried celery leaf...seems to enjoy the weeds that I pick for him on my morning walk more than the garden fare, though. His pen is not too lush after only a week, and so I am trying to supplement his hay diet with picked greens. 

Watching him yesterday was good, as I could see when he was most annoyed and making the most noise; am feeling better now that he's calming down more and seeming to only be agitated when he can't see the ewes - or, when he can see them but they're too far away for his liking. They seem to hang around the fence near him, and my guess is that they miss having him in with them, too. So funny to think about what's going on in their little sheep brains. Probably a lot more than we give them credit for is my guess. 

Not What You Say

Growing up, I heard over and over, "It's not what you say but how you say it." Not sure why that's popping into my head this morning as I listen to Bill make some pretty annoyed sounding baa's out there. After almost an hour of it, he's starting to lower his voice and there's more space between baa's. He is ticked. I know it will get easier and he'll eventually adjust to being separated, but in the meantime it's hard to hear him sounding so mad.

Bella and Hendricks 2010

After almost five years with these sheep, I have learned to listen for the different types of baa's and have found a simple pleasure in listening closely for the intonations that make one bleat very different from another. Like birds and their songs and calls, sheep have a language that is their own. It's taken time, patience and some degree of interest in this phenomenon to even start to understand it - not literally. The patterns are distinctive; at times, a certain baa will be used and at other times, a totally different sounding baa will be. One of my favorite sounds is the 'nickering' that the ewes do with their new lambs. It starts during the birthing itself, which I have observed many times. After birth and during the cleaning-up time, it's incredible to hear. I have never heard them make that sound except during late stages of birthing and early weeks of life, and every spring when I listen, it adds another layer of joy to the whole lambing season. I know that slowing down and listening closely is how we can really hear what people are saying. Sheep, too. Ovine Linguist. Funny.

Felting

Loki admiring the felted Jacob

I have started to play around with some felting, and while I really like it so far, it does not feel like anything that's too good for my hands. So far, I have made a few little acorns - which are cute - but I don't think I'll be doing too many more unless I can find some needles that have much larger handles. This picture is of a great little felted Jacob that was given to me last year by a student (the shepherd has a day job!) and his grandmother had made it just for me. I not only love the little ram itself but moreso love the fact that he was a gift from a kid who knows I love my sheep and wanted to do something kind for me (the day job has amazing perks like this some days). I sent his grandmother a thank you note with some of my babydoll fleece for her to experiment with, and she was thrilled with both I think. We emailed a bit back and forth, and she encouraged me to look online for videos on how to felt wool. Instead, I have read a few books that were loaned to me by my dear friend Lori - along with her needles and the sponge/foam. There are some amazingly talented artists working with fibers - felting and weaving and knitting and spinning - but, the more I learn about all of these possibilities with wool, the more I think my niche is really with raising the little animals. So, as artsy as this shepherd may want to be, I'm happy with taking care of the flock and knitting some hats. Oh, and dyeing the wool...I do really like that piece, too.  And so on that note...taking orders for the holidays, so let me know if you'd like to give some Salty Ewe Knit Lids as gifts this year. They are $25. each and will ship for free (old LLBean style).