Make it stop

Enough with this heat, okay? There's not much going on around here these days except a lot of this. Moving from shade tree to shade tree during the day, trying to escape the flies and heat. It's a miserable time to be wearing a wool coat (or anything, for that matter).

I've decided I need to encourage myself to think of three things to be grateful for every day. When I'm bothered by the heat, I tend to get a little too gripey (who me?). So, for today...

1. The grass is still green and we are not in a drought (as other parts of Kentucky are).

2. My studio is coming together. Still odds and ends to be done, but I'm getting there.

3. I have air-conditioning.

There you have it. Not very imaginative, but at least a start in focusing on something positive.

I apologize for the lack of posting lately. I think my brain is so overheated, I just can't find much to write about (except for complaining about the heat--and who needs to read about that?)

They asked for it

The heat is unrelenting and ongoing around here and nearly everyone else I know is dealing with the same thing. I've actually gotten tired of hearing myself complain about it!! So, anyway, in the continuing search to find ways to keep my animals from suffering too much, I have resorted to catering to their every request. I just happened to see this kiddie pool on sale at our local K-Mart and decided it was worth it, if it only worked once. Not surprisingly, the alpacas were a little leery at first. (Maybe it's all those brightly colored fish swimming around on the outside!) I think the sides might be just a tad too high for them to feel comfortable stepping over, but, nonetheless, they did finally get in and thrash around enough to empty most of the water out onto the ground. I only paid $10 for this beauty (the pool-not the alpacas), so it was not much of an investment and once I started putting the water in it, I made up my mind that I'd use it myself, if they didn't take to it. In fact, I've seriously considered going back to get another one just for me!

New duds for the dudes

The big boys finally got some new coats a few days ago. I am really pleased with how their fleeces are looking underneath those coats. Ollie and Mr. Lucky are sparkling clean and Mr. Lucky's fleece is black, black, black. No sun bleached tips for him this year. Buddy is not currently wearing one, but I finally got one big enough to fit him and now I'm just waiting for a good rain to clean him up a little before he dons it. Putting these coats on the whole flock is a sizable investment for me and I've been buying them a few at a time. Each animal will require several different sizes within the space of one year's fleece growing cycle, so the cost really adds up. My concern about having the sheep wear the coats was that it might be more stressful during hot weather, but so far, my observation has been that if anything, the black sheep are staying a little cooler and the white sheep don't seem to be bothered by them at all. I'm already thinking about those beautiful fleeces and the colors I will dye them (or not).

The life of a shepherd is so cyclical. I think that's one of the aspects of this life I love best. Spending time with the flock is an every day event for me, but certain times of the year require more energy than others. Lambing season is the most time consuming, but also the most rewarding. Summer requires extra vigilance to keep everyone healthy. Fall brings breeding season and decision making about which ram to breed to which ewes. Winter means feeding and barn work several times a day.

Sometimes it seems as though life on the farm is all about looking ahead. We're always planning for the next breeding, the next shearing, the next lambing. In some ways, the ability to keep looking ahead is a gift because it helps prevent getting completely depressed when things inevitably go awry. The day to day work does sometimes get me down, but when the paycheck is beautiful fleeces and sweet lambs, it's reason enough to keep going. Mike and I talk a lot about learning to "enjoy the moment" and it's often a struggle for me to slow down long enough to do that. Maybe if I keep on practicing, I'll finally get the hang of it.

I hope your weekend is full of enjoying the moments.

I am the perpetual student

and hope to remain so. There's nothing quite like taking a class or two to get me feeling creative again. This past weekend, Mike and I drove up to Chicago for a little get-away time. As we were walking out the door on Thursday afternoon, I might have been heard to say, "It's just not worth it! It's too stressful to leave the farm and the animals. We might as well stay home." I'm so glad we didn't give up on going. I took some classes at the Midwest Fiber and Folk Festival (and did just a little retail therapy). Friday's class was with Franklin Habit (that's Franklin doing a demo-and wearing a lace trimmed night cap!) and I can tell you he is just as entertaining in person as he is on his blog and in his book. Not only was the class enjoyable, but I learned a lot. We knit a miniature Tomten jacket, using Elizabeth Zimmerman's instructions, which had been adapted by Franklin. When completed, mine will fit an American Girl doll. If I could just finish up my Shepherd's Jacket and my Einstein Jacket, I might be tempted to cast on for a grown-up size Tomten. It's so cleverly designed, as are all of EZ's patterns. Franklin is a HUGE Elizabeth fan. When I told him I had actually known Elizabeth, he nearly swooned! (It's true----and to prove it, I have a big picture of myself with Elizabeth and Meg that was taken at knitting camp many, many years ago. I'm going to frame it and hang it in the new studio.)

At the end of the class, I asked Franklin what we might have to do to get him to teach at our very own Kentucky Sheep and Fiber Festival, next May. His answer was, "Just ask me!" So, anyone out there interested in taking a class from Franklin? I can highly recommend it.

As for that retail therapy......you know I can't pass up a chance to buy some Briar Rose yarn. I think Chris (the owner/dyer extraordinaire) is one of the nicest people on this earth and I don't think I've ever seen any colorway of her yarn that I didn't absolutely love. Of course, I'm so predictable, the yarn I bought is me all over the place!