I've been saving these pictures I took at the New York Sheep & Wool Festival to share with you today. These jack-o-lanterns were in the booth of Hugh McMahon, master pumpkin carver. I didn't get to see much of the festival, but I was glad I didn't miss meeting Hugh and seeing him at work (this is why I love sheep festivals, where else would you find such a spectacular flock of  lamb-o-lanterns?).  Enjoy.   A Merin-o-lantern. A Cormo-lantern? I think this one might be a Leicester-Lantern. There were even a couple llama-o-lanterns. (Crackerjack and Caitlyn are so pleased). Happy
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Our Rhinebeck homecoming just happened to coincide with the first decent stretch of dry weather in nearly four weeks. While Mike and I unpacked the van, Norm wended his way through the fields cutting large swaths in the dense grass with his Kuhn mower. Clear skies and a light dew fall Monday night made for excellent drying time on Tuesday, perfect for tedding and raking. Then we let the breeze do its work, rustling through the windrows. When the windrows change color from bright green to dusty blue, it's time to run the baler. Norm baled the upper end of
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My main reason for posting this evening to is tell everyone how much we've appreciated your comments during this difficult week. I know that time will eventually dampen the hurt, but your thoughts have helped immensely. We miss Emma terribly and our home just isn't the same.  The feat of readying for a major show is all-consuming. My  very wise younger sister Kathleen commented yesterday that the distraction is letting me work through the grief a little at a time. We'll see if that's a good thing. Grief is tricky. We'll see if it doesn't clock me between the eyes
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Yesterday we said goodbye to Emma. Her condition had worsened overnight to the point where we were forced to make a very difficult decision. She passed peacefully in the arms of her people, surrounded by her favorite toys from home. It was the best we could do for her. Emma, exploring a crystalline field after the ice storm, December 2008. Celebrating the season with a Christmas hedgehog, December 2008. Coming in from the snow, January 2009. She was our little diva and we were so lucky to have her in our lives. Mike, Caleb and I, along with our pups
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My sneakers were soaked by the time I finished checking the electro-net in the pasture this morning. The  autumnal dew falls much heavier and lingers longer in the cool air. Holly had set fence around the hay field behind the studio on Friday, and the little ewes were delighted to have new places to explore when I opened the gate today. The rest of the ewe flock has run of the sugar bush, further uphill where the  maples and beech are showy and colorful. My garden continues to flourish despite several frosts. I love the juxtaposition of the colors of
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Another week's gone by, and it's still  too wet for haying. I'm really starting to wonder what on earth we'll feed the flock this winter. I wonder if we can extend grazing until Christmas. . . Instead, my flock got to spend some quality time with their favorite shearer. We coifed the Border Leicesters on Tuesday. Yesterday was the goats' turn. Only our longwools get fall haircuts. They yield a nice 4-5 inch staple. Anything longer gives the giant carder at the spinnery indigestion. My Cormos, only shorn in spring, got fresh coats and pedicures, so they wouldn't feel left
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Yesterday our day began with a call from a neighbor reporting a large coyote  inside our electro-net fence in the pasture! Grabbing my camera, I bolted out the door in my pajamas. By the time I reached the pasture, the coyote had vamoosed. I did a quick head count of the flock – all safe and present. Likely, the coyote  found its way out, probably the same way it had entered: at the north end of the field, a section of net lay on the ground, knocked inward as if something had run into it. I bet it had been
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