Popcorn’s Playpen

We never could understand what that railing was intended for. Visitors would sit and debate the endless possibilities. This weekend I think we might have discovered the purpose. It is a playpen for bottle lambs.

Popcorn has stolen the show at Billie Creek this week. Sometimes they’ll look at me and pay attention to my spinning but for the most part it’s all about Popcorn.

It has gone straight to her head. On the second day we passed a pasture full of sheep and she yelled out the window, “Hey, I’m a star. I’m going to be adored.”
Or she might have been saying, “Help, save me!”
I don’t speak sheep.

Today we both walked to the village to have lunch. It was like walking to town with Cher or Madonna. The paparazzi was insane.

She’s staying home tomorrow. You know. So she can rest.
Not because I’m jealous or anything.

We Had Front Row Seats

This past weekend wrapped up the Civil War reenacting season for us. The weather was fantastic.

The Hartford event was the largest and most well attended event we have participated in.

Our “Suds Row” display was on the very edge of the battlefield.

It seemed like a great location. I had plenty of room to demonstrate and I could even sit right inside my tent and take pictures of all the action.

Then they started firing the artillery.

Several of us, even old Abe himself, were then found cowering behind some tents, covering our ears.

I’m not sure what period-appropriate earplugs look like exactly but I’m adding them to my list of necessary items for next year.

The Festival is Coming

This month is insane. Busy, busy, busy.

I finally finished tying off the rugs I made at Billie Creek Village. I am keeping two and the other three will replace the worn out rugs in the farmhouse there. Then I’ll re-weave the old ones.

Friday is the first day of the Covered Bridge Festival. We have a couple volunteers to hang out in the log cabin this year. It gets a little crowded in that small room so I’ll take a break from weaving and go back to the farmhouse while they are there.

Popcorn and I are busy getting her wool and  nails done for her debut. She will be going with me as part of my sheep-to-shawl demonstration. It will be like Hug-A-Sheep Day for 10 days straight. She’s going to love it. I suspect she’ll be very popular.

If you are in the area stop by and visit.

A Little Lamb Who’s Fleece Was White as Snow

She follows me everywhere. I try not to play favorites around here but geez it’s hard when they do that. I’d like for her to follow me to camp this weekend for our final Civil War event at Hartford City. I could do a whole sheep to shawl demonstration. Wouldn’t that be cool?

If it weren’t such a long drive during rush hour traffic, I’d totally do it. Well, that and the fact that I’m a little concerned what all those hungry soldiers might think of my little lamb. Her name is Popcorn, not Chops. Er, wait. Um.

Hmm, perhaps we should rename the three new girls? Maybe something that goes along with our TV show theme? Who can think of a show that had a bossy old lady and two young girls?

It is Too a “Real Job”

The Engineer. He has this highfalutin, high-tech corporate sales job that often requires me to scrape the manure from under my nails and gussy myself up for a fancy dinner out. I like the dinners. Don’t get me wrong. A five-star restaurant is always a good thing in my book. I particularly like it when I’m not the one paying for it. The only part that bothers me is when the small talk attention turns to me and someone asks, “So what do YOU do?”

I used to just say, “I homeschool my son.” But now that  he has gone back to school I never quite know how to answer that. I’ve often replied, “I’m a hobby farmer.”

Generally that has been followed by a 30 second hesitation on their part as they try to process what I just said. Then there is, of course, the obligatory explanation of just what that means, “I raise sheep, alpacas, goats and llamas.”

Again, a pause while that little tidbit is digested. Then they always ask, “And what exactly do you do with them?”

Here is where the eyebrows start to inch towards the tops of their heads. When I tell them that I shear them by hand and process the wool, I can tell they are mentally filing me under the hippie weirdo category in their business card files. If not immediately then certainly once they figure out there is no real cash flow being generated yet.

So I am trying to resolve the “What do You do?” question.  Instead of “hobby farmer” I need to actually sell something to lose that “hobby” part of the title. You’ll be noticing a few changes around here. A cohesive look and feel to the old blog and facebook page, a new Etsy shop and whatnot. A general attempt at getting my act together and becoming a “real” farmer.

It is either that or answer the question with stuff I make up like, “I’m an excrement expatiation engineer.”

I wonder how long it would take them to process that?

“Well, in Whoville they say…

…that the Grinch's small heart grew three sizes that day.”

Popcorn knows how to make mine grow, too.

Is she not the sweetest thing that ever lived or what?!

She has me completely wrapped around her little hoof. Which she just so happened to get stuck in the wall of her shack between the plywood and the 2x4 rendering her temporarily helpless and leaving no doubt in my mind we were made for each other. More often than I care to mention I’ve had a heel stuck in something or other. We ARE both blonde after all.

Welcome to the Land of Cookies, Girls

I have some new friends. They came to me via Theresa and Tori at Under the Son Farm.

Tula is a more, shall we say, mature girl. She’s giving up her stay-at-home-mom job and semi-retiring to the land of cookies and bedtime snacks.

She’ll still be required to produce her drop-dead gorgeous fleece each year. It actually glistens in the sunlight. Wow.

She and Sophia used to be rivals in their youth, should be interesting to see who gets to be the head sheep in charge once they are combined into the same area. Tula has made it abundantly clear that she is  in charge of the quarantine.

Then there is Paisley. Just look at that color!  She is a beautiful grey under those br0wn tips and sooooooo soft. I simply cannot wait to shear this cute little thing.

Paisley is a little skittish but I’m sure she’ll warm right up once she discovers the joy of cookies.

“Cookies? What are cookies?” she asks.

This next adorable creature is Popcorn.

Popcorn was a bottle baby which Tori and Theresa spoiled rotten.  I LOVE Popcorn. Sweetest little creature EVER. I totally want to bring her into the house to watch movies with me. You can’t watch movies without popcorn, right?

The Engineer says no.

I guess we’ll just have to do it when he’s gone.

Welcome to the land of cookies, girls. I think you’ll like it here.