This week is off to a rather bleak start, with damp and drizzly days. The flock is getting a little antsy from too much time indoors, not enough exercise, despite our best efforts to get them out and about in the paddock. Some of the girls are picking fights, as you can see in this episode from dinnertime the other evening, featuring  the rather un-ladylike behavior of Amethyst and Deluth. I have no idea who started it and why. I suspect hormones play a part. The open (unbred) ewes get ornery and take it out on each other. See for yourself:

Some shot from this morning at the farm. Massachusetts got clobbered by another storm starting in the early morning hours. By 7 am there was 5 inches on the ground. All schools were cancelled, I'm sure all the kids are happy for a pre-Christmas snow day (when I was teaching those days always felt like such a wonderful bonus, I loved them too!).

Holly shoveled this lovely path so the sheep and goats can come to the gate. She stopped shoveling long enough to take a few shots.

The sheep seem resigned to the fact that winter has arrived early. No doubt about it. Time to put the plow on the truck.

Wishing a safe trip home tonight to anyone who must drive in this.

photos by Holly Sonntag

Came across some photos of the boys standing waist deep in clover  last summer  - which reminded me of an old Don Henley song, the title of today's post. It was fun finding these shots in my archives as the days shorten and we get our first taste of winter.

To follow up on my last post: the vibe in the carriage barn has mellowed considerably. Yesterday I enlarged the pen, to see what would happen if I gave the guys a little more space. The usual amount of shouldering ensued between Tea and Cilantro, but it was just posturing really. At dinner last night, wee Cinder put his ears back and challenged one of the big wethers, so cute to see him acting brave and rammy. When the wether answered the challenge, Cinder was quick to assume the posture of "just kidding!", when he realized, I think, that he was outsized by about 150 lbs.

So today I gave Holly the sign that it was fine to let the whole group out into the yard. We watched to be sure everyone was behaving.  In a comment to my last post Valerie asked what would happen if we didn't manage the re-introduction of the boys carefully. In past years, we've had some bloody heads when the fellows had just a bit too much space, enough room to clobber each other. We've since learned it's best to take things slowly, make the pen tight at first, until the boys re-establish the pecking order.

Naturally, Tea and Cilantro are sticking together this morning. They hip checked each other on the way out the door into the pasture, but appear to  have declared a truce. Looking at the photos from last July, they were pretty much side by side even then. I suppose it's a yin-yang thing, and they always seem to work it out, eventually striking a balance.

Of course, we're careful to administer equal amounts of attention to all of them.

 
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copyright 2009. Barbara Parry. All rights reserved. Feel free to share a link to this site. Please do not take images or content from this site without explicit written permission. Thank you.

Do you remember the promise I made to myself last May, when lambing season rolled into its fifth week as I anxiously waited for Zuni's lambs to arrive? And how panicky I was because I was heading out to the New Hampshire Sheep & Wool Festival and still waiting on lambs? That was a self imposed problem. I had let Teaberry dally with the ewes way longer than the usual four weeks last fall. Since Zuni had not bred in the first cycle, her lambkins were way behind the rest of the kids.

Knowing that I can't put myself in that position next spring (too many irons in the fire!), we pulled cormo ram Teaberry and moorit ram Chai from the breeding flock last week and brought ALL the boys together under one roof in the carriage barn. Here they'll be barn mates all winter until we move them back to the top of the hill next spring.

 Andy and Jacob helped me and Holly part an unwilling Teaberry from the girls. He did not make it easy, trying to dodge all us and charge right back into the breeding barn, as we tried to channel and out-maneuver him toward the carriage barn were his old buddies were waiting. Tea is such a good suitor. One night last week, Mike and I flipped on the "lamb cam" (renamed the "ram cam" during the breeding season) just to see what they were up to. And let me tell you, that boy doesn't get much rest!  So I am guessing everyone in his group is settled.

Being a junior ram, Chai was much easier to extract from the group of black ewes. In fact Holly did this single handedly. He happily joined his friends Cinder and Latte, along with the other wethers.

Friday morning, Mike had penned Cilantro, Parsley and the other big boys in a catch pen at the top of the hill. We loaded them into the horse trailer and trucked them down.

The trick to reintroducing the boys to each other is to do it all at once. So many things are new and different, they don't know what to make of the situation. It helps quell any major head bashing. Crowding them in tight quarters also reduces the chance for them to do serious damage to each other until re-acquainted.

I was especially worried about the little rams, thinking they might be bullied. But it's interesting how the mature rams just ignore them. I suppose they're too small to be perceived as rivals. Instead, Cilantro and Teaberry have been gunning for each other. They are the only contentious pair in the group and everyone else just tries to stay out of their way. 

Cilantro is the instigator, a bit unusual for a wether. Tea will be minding his own business at the feeder and Cilantro throws his ears back and takes a shot at him. Then they engage in shouldering and head butting, trying to out-muscle each other like a pair of teenagers. It goes on until they get sick of it and  go back to eating. But they're always side by side, as if neither wants to let the other out of his sight.

We'll be able to enlarge their pen eventually, once the tussle dies down.

Cinder,  still so sweet, is taking the whole thing rather well.

And on the other side of Reynolds Road, the girls dine al-fresco. That's Fern, the pretty Leicester ewe staring right at me.

Off to the barn.

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copyright 2009. Barbara Parry. All rights reserved. Please feel free to share a link to this site but do not take content or images from this site without written permission. Thank you.

As promised, some snapshots from last weekend's excursion to the Knitters' Review Retreat in Williamstown, MA. It was the perfect ending to a busy fall season of work and travel. There is something wonderfully cohesive and embracing about this weekend. Perhaps it's due to the roster of faithful, mostly repeat attendees, so it has the feel of a reunion with good friends. 

 Holly, ready for shoppers at the marketplace at our booth.

But it's mostly because of the tone and spirit of this event which is set by  hostess, founder and master of ceremonies, Clara Parkes. Clara has created a perfectly balanced blend of gentle structure, skill sharpening, creative inspiration, fun, humor, with moments set aside for personal reflection. And shopping.

 
Happy hour: Holly, Clara and Melissa Morgan Oakes.

 Good company and good food. 

After checking in, Holly and I wasted no time in making our room feel (and look) just like the studio. Within minutes I had pounds of cormo silk alpaca roving strung about along with skeins of dampish yarn that hadn't dried at home.

 Fortunately, the relative humidity of our room (zero) was perfect for drying yarn and fiber (but murder on the sinuses).

The weekend celebrated  knitting, friendship and fiber. The recent release of Clara's book, The Knitters' Book of Wool, added to the excitement. Clara had many of the hand knit models on display during her booksigning.

The Saturday workshops are always one of the highlights of the retreat. I took in Anne Hanson's Sweater Design class. It began with working in pairs to record our body measurements (and since we well-fed all weekend, I'm glad this occurred in the early part of Saturday). I was quite pleased with my wrist measurements.   

Holly took Melissa's class in finishing techniques. Katherine Alexander's workshop focused on her famous multicolor three-dimensional knitting and Clara offered a primer on sock yarn. Everyone compared notes at meal times.

The focus of Saturday evening was a fascinating talk by Melanie Falick of STC Publishing. She talked about how her career path led to her current position as head of craft imprint – and talked about how they go about acquiring titles, (having recently been through the process of selling two books, this was all quite interesting for me). Then she gave us a preview of coming attractions for 2010.

Anne Hanson and Chris of Briar Rose.

Sunday morning was time for "new beginnings" in which we all cast on new projects. The "Reverend" Parkes performed a group wedding ceremony in which we all vowed loyalty and devotion to our new projects, for better or for worse, in sickness and in health, "until bind off us do part."

Patten Hill was veiled in fog as I went about this morning's chores. The sun came out long enough for me to squeeze in a three mile run and it's been back to fog and light drizzle, a somber but welcomingly quiet Thanksgiving day. 

Although we might eke out another three to four weeks of grazing, the sheep are getting hay now, to keep them healthy and to preserve the fields. The ewes were looking for their share while I took this shot in the breeding/birthing barn.

Teaberry appears thankful breakfast and for the company of so many lovely ewes over the last four weeks. Alas, he must take his leave of his ladies tomorrow and return to the group of boys in the carriage barn. I guarantee he will not be a happy camper.

The sheep will have an early dinner tonight so I can enjoy turkey dinner with Mike a bit later. Since my family isn't exactly local, we're use to celebrating this holiday in a quiet way, which is nice because it allows room for relaxation and reflection.

This year I'm truly grateful for my family and friends, especially my new niece's safe arrival into the world in August. I blessed with health and the stewardship of a thriving flock and a lovely slice of New England farm land. I'm lucky to be able to work at what I love most – working with my hands, making art, writing, raising fiber, growing food. I am thankful for the support of the fiber  community, for appreciating and helping to sustain my efforts, and for my blog readers for sharing in the life of my farm.

Sending everyone my strongest wishes for a happy Thanksgiving day.
 
 

I love seeing the sheep after being away from the farm for a few days. Mike took charge of the flock so Holly and I could both attend the Knitters' Review Retreat, and I'll have more to say about our very special weekend in a separate post tomorrow.

For now, just a some quiet moments from evening chores.  Topanga was being silly, standing atop a rock at dinnertime, dropping hay on Amy's head. It's nice to be back.

Holly and I are off for the Knitter’s Review Retreat today ( her first, she’s “super excited!”). I’ll leave you with a peaceful video clip of the young rams & wethers coming to the barn with Crackerjack one evening this week.

Hope you have a great weekend.

xo