Whew!  It has been a long hot summer and I am glad that the weather has become cooler.  It is much easier to add a sweater or a jacket than it is to sit and sweat it out in the hot sun on Saturdays at Farmers' Market.  Just two more Saturdays at Fair Oaks Mall from 9a.m. to 12:30 p.m.  Then we have Hackman's Market, The Street Fair in downtown Columbus, and St. Mary's Christmas Bazaar in North Vernon.  That will wrap it up for the season.

I have been playing a lot with my Corgi, Michaela, and have found her to be relentless when she wants to play.  Don't believe me?  Then take a look at the video.  The video was taken after she had already hassled me 5 other times and we played.  She doesn't get tired as easily as I do.  She is still a puppy.  I have many more years of fun ahead!

I still have Cormo/Shetland/Finn cross sheep and natural colored Shetland/Finn sheep for sale.  I don't have the money to feed them this winter and I hope I can get them sold.  My prices are more than reasonable and these animals produce wonderful fleeces that I am going to miss.  I have about 10 natural colored that have to die for fleeces.

Well, tomorrow is Farmers' Market so I need to move on for the evening.  I hope you enjoy the video.  Feedback is always great.

Summer's End Can't Be To Far Off

It has been a long hot summer. So hot in fact, that I am not going to be able to afford all the hay I need to feed the animals that remain on the farm. Hay prices are exorbitant and if I can just feed my alpacas, my Angora goats (what sweeties!), and a handful of sheep, I will be blessed.

My home improvement project is on hold at this time, of course, half way through the project. My carpenter had to have some surgery and is now in recovery mode while boxes remain on my lawn under tarps until he can finish the room they belong in. Why is it nothing is ever easy?

I am working on a new hat design. I have had to start over twice now as it wasn't shaping up the way I wanted it to. I am using up yarns I have collected over the years with the hope that something strikes someones fancy at Farmer's Market. Sales have been miserable this year. Last year the sales helped my sheep eat well all winter long. This year, I am forced to cut back because of the lack of sales to feed my sheep. I believe this is an indicator of the economy because everyone at the market is noticing a decrease in sales compared to last year.

I hope I can find someone who will help me care for my animals in inclimate weather. I don't want to risk falling and breaking something. I would never hear the end of it from my parents and my daughter. They believe I have no business living on a farm alone. What do you think? I am under 5 foot tall and pushing 60. Can I do this or not?

Saying Goodbye

As with everything in life, there comes a time when one must say goodbye to Life as it has been. This week has been like that for me. I've had fiber animals since 2003 and Margaret and Snowflake, my Saanen goats, for almost 5 years. As of Monday, all 26 of my chickens are gone. Then as of Wednesday, my Saanen billy and both Margaret and Snowflake are gone.

Now I need to be selling off my sheep. I can't handle the farm by myself any longer and it is time to move on to another life. My Cormo x Shetland/Finn sheep have beautiful soft crimpy fleeces and are a spinner's dream. I have intact males, a few wethers, and lots of ewes for sale. All are reasonably priced at $125 each. Many of my ewes are twinners and a few bless me with triplets each year.

I will miss this life, but divorce forces me to downsize. I love my animals. They are my children. My prayer is that they find kind homes that make them family as well.

Hoosier Hills FiberArts Website Updated

Finally, I have completed my portion of the Hoosier Hills FiberArts Festival website. I've never done anything on a website (excluding ebay) and getting text to stay put wasn't easy. I guess I need to to become more technically inclined and create a website to sell my sheep, roving, alpacas and anything else on the farm that needs a new home.

I should dig out my little notebook of passwords and go to ebay and post my Patrick Green Deb Deluxe carder. I need the money and there isn't a better time than now to sell it. I'm trying to think of other things that I might be able to sell, but nothing comes to mind. I know that there is, I just need to be organized in getting things ready to post.

Well, since my carder needs listed, away I go to ebay.

Border Leicester X

I have hesitated long enough. I have a beautiful 4 year old Border/Bluefaced Leicester ram that handles well on a halter. I can no longer use beautiful Galahad because I want to keep 2 of his beautiful daughters. Their fleeces are so luxurious and fine that I prefer to keep them and look for a new ram. I am up to 5 ewes now, all BL/BFL X. If you are reading this and have a friend with sheep, I would really like to trade with another small breeder like I am. Galahad throws beautiful lambs, but I cannot breed him to his daughters. Pictures are forthcoming. Galahad is white and very broad across the back. As a yearling he had beautiful pencil curls. His fleece is still just as gorgeous now as then. With all the rain we are getting on a daily basis, it is also snowy white.

Do not hesitate to respond to this if you know someone who might trade me. It would be a travesty for Galahad to become freezer fodder.

The Great North American Afghan

I am now on block 13 of The Great North American Afghan. However, I skipped block #12 since the needles in my hands at the end of block 11 were the same size needed for block 13, I bypassed #12 until a later time. A precursor to each block is thoroughly reading the instructions and typing them up to fit my knitting style. I usually type up several blocks at a time so that I don't have to stop between blocks and type some more.

Knitting this afghan is a journey for me. Each block on average is taking 6-8 hours of my time. But the beauty that grows with each row is so exciting that I can barely wait to get to the next block. With all the other activities that go on this time of year, I don't expect to get this afghan completed before Christmas. The blocks that are done will have to go into a box and and I.O.U. on the top. The recipient will just have to settle for an unfinished afghan with the expectation of getting it before summer arrives.

Meanwhile on the farm, we didn't expose our ewes to the rams until Dec. 1. While having early babies was fun this past year, we bred late in hopes that we lose fewer lambs since the weather should be more agreeable to lambing in April and May. The ewes are so fat and sassy right now.

In spite of space between the Shetland/Finns and the Border/Bluefaced Leicesters, Galahad, the B/B L ram has been standing at the fence jealously eyeing Bob the Babydoll/Finn's flock. Bob is a cutie. He is friendly and easy with the girls as well as easy to handle when time comes to remove from the flock. Galahad is also easy to remove from the flock with a call to come. So like a big dog, he lumbers to the space given to rams that no longer need to be with the ewes.

Now to get back to knitting Christmas. I do not see anyway possible to get everything knitted or stitched before Christmas, but I will do what I can to get as much as possible completed before the big day. In the meantime, onward and forward!

Photo Updates of My Babies

My digital camera and I spent some time together the other day to snap some photos of curious sheep. I thought it would be hard to get pictures, but not the way it was. I found it hard to get good photos because everyone was curious what the "Great Food Meister" was doing among them. My one little ram (babydoll/Finn/Shetland) wanted to nose the lens and since he is a ram in training, it wasn't real safe to squat down. I have been gently butted, but only because I wasn't doling out the candy corn fast enough. So I went back into the house and when I came back out, I rounded the corner of the house carefully and got this side view photo of him before he saw me and came running to me looking for a handout. I am planning on using this little guy on my 50/50 Shetland/Finn ewes this fall. That should improve the crimp and productivity in preparation of using a higher percentage Babydoll ram next fall. So what do you think of my little guy? He is stocky, small, short crimpy fiber, easy to handle, and a big baby.

So Much To Be Done

Here it is a day away from October and I'm not ready for winter. I have 3 shelters to build for the sheep and goats and a hen house to winterize. I also have about 8 extra ewes and 2 rams to find homes for. I really hate to part with those ewes as I am really pleased with the fiber I'm getting. I have a 2-fold breeding program.

The first program I'm breeding a 50/50 blend of Border Leicester and Bluefaced Leicester for a silky long lock for durable yarns. The next program is more complicated. I love Babydoll sheep but only have 3 but they are mixed with a percentage of Finn. They still have the babydoll type fleece. The only problem is that the fleece is short. Now I'm not complaining about the crimp, mind you, only the lack of length. So I introduced a 50/50 Shetland/Finn to my Babydolls last fall. I didn't get the typey fleece from my older ewe who is 50/50 Babydoll/Finn. However, her 2007 twin daughters who are 75/25 Babydoll/Finn presented me with very crimpey/longer-fleeced youngsters. The feel is luscious. The little ram even has close to a babydoll face and the size is just a fraction more than the original babydoll breed. I will get some pictures to post this week. I want longer fleece with the babydoll crimp and softness. I am continuing my breeding program this fall to improve on what I have. I want fibers that yearn to be next to the skin. Let's see how well I do. Until next time......kate of WindSong Fibers Farm

Fiber Festival Preparation

I don't know if I've mentioned it or not in my prior posts, but I am a board member this year for the Hoosier Hills Fiber Festival 2008. This will be its 4th annual gathering at Johnson County Fairgrounds in Franklin, Indiana on June 6th and 7th.

Now I've never been a board member for anything before, but I can tell you this much it is a lot of hard work planning a festival. My baby is getting the booklet and handouts completed as well as floor layouts printed up so that everyone has something to hold onto so as not to forget us for next year.

On top of all that, I have my own brood of sheep, alpacas, Angora goats, dogs, and spouse to care fore as well. My lambs think I'm the mom finder and do their best to bleat as loud as they can so that when they need a drink and can't find mom, I will come rushing out of the house to their aid in their "mom" search. After 8 weeks of this, I'm getting pretty calloused to it though. I try not to hear them in spite of their high-pitched calls for help. Only if one persists for an extended period of time do I go check to see if there is something really wrong other than they don't want to move from a particular spot and want their mom to come to them.

I am proud to say that this year, I have some really nice lambs I will be selling at Hoosier Hills...or should I say that my darling hubby will manning the pen. I will have all the information he needs along with paperwork so that he can tell interested buyers what mix the lamb is or so he can call me on the cell and have me come out and talk to potential buyers. I have 50/50 Shetland/Finns, 50/25/25 Finn/Babydoll/Shetlands, & 37.5/37.5/25 Finn/Babydoll/Shetland blends. I have posted a photo of one of the 50/50 ewes I will be selling. Her 1/2 sister from last year blessed me with a beautiful black ewe this year. All their fibers are awesome and I can't wait for the couple of lambs I'm keeping to have fleece long enough to shear. By festival time I may also have some Border/Bluefaced Leicester lambs, but they haven't arrived yet. I will have an Angora kid buck for sale and maybe a doe. I haven't made up my mind. But the doe and the buck are twins from this year and they are soooo cute!!!!

I missed church this morning because yesterday we sheared 10 alpacas. There was a crew of 5 of us and we started about 10:30 and went until near 7 p.m. I am sooo sore that I couldn't get out of bed this morning until almost 10. It took me an hour to get loosened up so that I could move. I still ache and hope I feel better tomorrow. I don't like being stiff and sore! lol!!! If you read this blog and would like to see the lambs before the festival, feel free to drop me a line. kate of WindSong

Lambs & kids

Is it April already??!!?? It doesn't seem like I posted so long ago. However, as with all farms, the seasons change rapidly and there is always something new going on. This spring I am blessed with an abundance of lambs and so far a set of twin Angora kids. Like last year, it seems that my lambing and kidding comes in 2 waves. The first wave, now over for over 3 weeks, has left me with cute, noisy little voices that already recognize me as the "Food Meister" or "she who brings the grub."

I am also the one who finds momma when all hope is lost that she is anywhere in the pasture. The lambs are confident that I know where she is and who momma really is. I'm glad they have that much faith in me, but if I don't get some eartags in them soon, I won't know who came from where as they are beginning to all look alike.

While I don't have any pictures of my chickens yet, I now have chickens. My last encounter with chickens was growing up on a farm. I didn't realize they had personalities. Now I'm finding that my own chickens don't mind using my hand as a place to sit and visit. They are only about 8 weeks old, but I have already named the gorgeous golden one, a Buff Orpington, Beauty. She is so silky and gorgeous. The 4 Rhode Island Reds are noisy and energetic always trying to fly out when I open the door. I haven't the slightest what to name them at this time. Then there are the 3 Plymouth Barred Rocks. They are inquisitive and collected. None of these guys are afraid of jumping on my arm to sit. I did have to teach them what their roost was for and now they think I'm an extension of the roost. Geez!

I have included photos of my twin Angora kids for you to ooh and aaah about. They are adorable and are so mischievous. I am constantly laughing at them. They will be registered with CAGBA (Colored Angora Goat Breeders Association) and the little boy will be fore sale. He is a fine specimen of his father.

It's a Boy!!!

One of our long awaited babies has arrived this morning! Alina proudly presented us with a bouncing baby boy. Mother and baby are doing well. I haven't named him yet because I was expecting a girl instead of a little boy. See what happens when you count your chickens before they're hatched. Here is a couple of photos of the little fellow. Isn't he precious?

Keep your fingers crossed that Jeanne has a girl. I can't wait for it to be born! Tomorrow, I will post some pics of our Finn/Shetland, Finn/Babydoll girls. 'Til then..

My how time flies!

I have been quite remiss in keeping up with my blogging. Give me 20 lashes with a wet spaghetti noodle!! LOL!! It has been very hot here until about 5 days ago. We have had several days of rain back to back and a hard frost as of last night. We are still trying to get the goats sheared. It is very cool and I hesitate shearing them so they can shiver their way into pneumonia.

A weekend ago, we moved all the sheep into their pastures. Galahad is now with his 3 ladies - Ruth, Naomi, and Jasmina. Meanwhile, Henry` is with 8 of his girls. We should be getting babies about about the 3rd week of March. How exciting that we will be starting another season of lambs and fibers!

I've got to get a pictures of Charlie to post. I will be listing him for sale very soon. He is a sweetheart and gets very excited at chow time. I hope to get a picture of him with all 4 feet in the air. He is so funny.

Just wanted all to know I'm doing fine, but have been very busy with ebay trying to raise hay money since about August 10. At first things were slow, but then they became very hectic. I hope I have stabilized now. I will have to keep looking for things to post on their as well as keep everyone here up to-date. I hope everyone is keeping warm. I will do my best to post at least once a week. After Christmas, I should be able to post more frequently. Hang in there and keep spinning, knitting or whatever you past-time delight is just keep doing it! kate of WindSong

Still Hot

This morning when I started to the barn, I found Katrina, my almost 2 year old alpaca laying in the path dead. It has been so hot and I have tried very hard to keep them cool, but with temps in the 95-102 range repeatedly and no rain since early August (oh, every now and then we get our allocation of 50 drops), it has been very hot and dry. In spite of no rain, the humidity has been absolutely unbearable. In the posted picture, Katrina is the one on the right. The lighter colored one is her mother, Alina. She will be sorely missed as she was a real sweetie.

I don't know if it is normal or not but many of the cornfields are already harvested. Leaves are falling from the trees too. Isn't it a bit early for all this? Just wondering as it doesn't seem like fall yet and I thought all this happened later in the fall. Well, I just wanted to share about Katrina. It will help me deal with her loss. Thanks for letting get this off my chest.

kate of WindSong

Hotter than.....

Wow! The weather man kept saying it was going to be hot today, but I seldom put much stock in their forecasts. However, this afternoon we jumped in the Prius to drive up to Hope to mail some e-bay packages and the temperature outside remained at the 100 degrees mark the entire time we were out. The hottest day of our summer so far and it is in August!

I don't know much about other people, but I know how much I value my friends and the friendship that I have with them. Tonight, I had a rude awakening. I went to a friend's house to pick up some things of mine that I've been trying to collect for the past 5 months, but could never get anyone home or commit to being home. I was met at the back door of this so-called friend's house and given the third degree by this person's husband. He went so far as to call me a bitch because his daughter lied and told him that I was rude to her in a phone call that I had made to their house to try to find them home.

I have been trying to make contact with this person to gather all my items so that they won't be in her way and her husband claims he threw them in the landfill. He threw over $500 of rubber stamps in the landfill!!!! I'm not sure what I have done, if I have done anything for them to treat me this way. But I guess I have one less friend than I thought I had. A real friend would not avoid another friend when they are trying to collect their possessions. I'm sorely disappointed in this woman and I wish her well in spite of her avoiding me for whatever reason it might be.

Well, I need to move on. We haven't had supper yet and I need to fix something even if it isn't good for me.